The Dark
by mabelreid
Summary: Someone is killing men in Baltimore. The murders bear a strking resmblence to the city's most famous author Edgar Allen Poe. Of course, Reid gets more then he bargained for when the team closes in on the killer
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: See my profile**_

_**A/n hello all... Here's my annual Halloween tale. This takes place after the opening of season five. There will be a few spoilers. Also Reid is off crutches. There will be mention of Poe, Baltimore and some tourist sites in Baltimore. I've never been to these site and have relied mostly on what I imagine them to be like. No offense to anyone that lives in the area if I get it wrong. **_

_**Now... enjoy this tale of murder, kidnap and maybe just a little mayhem and a tiny bit of friendship/romance with a new OFC for Dr. Reid. **_

_**Prologue**_

Pain had always been a part of his life. Physical pain became his best companion when he started school and excelled fast enough to incur the wrath of other children. They showed him what it meant to curl up in a ball and cry because the pain is so enormous; it overshadowed even the need to breathe. It showed in the crimson stain of his blood on the earth, his skin and his clothes.

He learned to control the pain so his mother wouldn't know. He learned to accept it as part of living in a world that didn't accept someone so different from the norm. The emotional pain became the most difficult to mask.

Pain punched through the haze that accompanied his attempt to open his eyes. His eyelids opened slowly as though one-pound weights hung from them. His eyeballs felt like someone had blown sand into his eye sockets. He groaned as pain lanced through his right side and head, as though he had been shocked repeatedly with high voltage electricity. In fact, the only thing that didn't seem to be actively hurting was his knee.

He stood up, he realized, on two good legs. He blinked his eyes against a mellow golden light that seeped into his field of vision. He blinked repeatedly, as his eyes adjusted to the light. Something clicked as he tried to draw his arms down over his head. They wouldn't move at all. Something held them up over his head. He pulled again on his numb limbs and more soft clicks invaded his aching head.

He tried to look up, but the light did not penetrate the black haze over his head. He looked down. The movement caused his stomach to rebel. He swallowed against burning acid and bile in his throat that burned like sand in the desert.

Something clinked again, but it didn't sound like the chains holding his numb arms over his head. There came a rustle and a shadow that blocked the light. Someone stepped up to what he saw now as a kind of doorway.

"You're awake I see," the voice said.

That familiar silky voice sent his heart to slamming in his chest and his blood in torrents all over his body. He tried to draw back, but couldn't as more chains rattled around his feet.

_No! _

Something he couldn't see attached his feet to more chains. He couldn't see what it might be. "Please…" He pleaded.

"Shh… Dr Reid, it will all be over soon."

The figure stepped back and bent over the task he'd begun. Reid looked right and left into darkness. There was nothing to see beyond the reach of the lamplight casting its golden glow over his feet and the cuffs of his pants.

"My team will find you." He said with as much conviction as he could muster.

"No… They won't find me until I wish it. When they do, let's just say you'll be a permanent addition to this place.

Pain pounded in time with Reid's heartbeat as the figure, still shrouded in darkness held up something in the light. It looked like a mason's trowel. Reid felt his eyes go round. It was a trowel. He looked down at the doorway and saw the bricks laid in three new rows across to the original wall.

"No… You don't have to do this."

"Oh but I do Dr. Reid… I'm finished with what I set out to do. You'll be my finest work."

"Why!"

The figure looked up, but Reid couldn't see his face with the light behind his head.

"Why? Because I can, Dr. Reid, don't worry… It will be over soon. You'll run out of air long before you die of thirst."

"Please don't do this. If you let me go, I'll talk to the DA. I'm sure…"

The figure ignored him. In fact, the man began to whistle as he completed three more tiers to the brick wall he built in front of the terrified profiler.

"Dr. Reid, you've become very quiet."

Reid watched him, not saying anything as the wall rose higher in front of his eyes. He pulled uselessly on the chains encircling his wrists and his feet.

"Dr Reid!"

The angry tone of his captor made Reid look up at the shadowy face. "Why don't you show me your face?"

"You know my face. You have always known who I am. I told you before, I'm Death."

The man lifted another brick into place and tapped it down as Reid watched fascinated. It was like watching a train wreck or car accident. He couldn't look away from his doom even as the light dimmed as the tier climbed higher and higher up the wall.

Finally, there remained but one brick to fit into place in the wall.

"Dr Reid."

He lifted his head from looking into the blackness that had nearly claimed him. His body shook and tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Look upon me and despair." The figure held up his lamp letting the light reveal what he'd hid from the young profiler. He showed the young man his true face, the one he'd kept hidden from the world.

Reid screamed and screamed. The figure screamed back at him as he fitted the last brick into the wall. He mortared it securely in place. The aging ingredients he'd added to the mud would make it indistinguishable the old brick work after it dried.

He gathered up his tools and left the wall to eternity.


	2. The Light before the Dark

_**Disclaimer: see my proflie**_

**_A/n thank you all for your kind support of this new tale. I'm trying something new. The first chapter was near the end of the story. The next chapter will be how it all began for Reid. _**

**_The Light before the Dark _**

_**48 hours earlier….**_

Reid opened his eyes to charcoal grey light seeping into his bedroom around wooden slat blinds. He turned over, stretched and looked at the alarm clock on his bedside table. The ruby red digital numbers read 7:06 am. He sighed. It was twenty-four minutes before his alarm would sound.

He could get up and make an actual breakfast for once with the extra time. He closed his eyes and decided to just lay there and enjoy the quiet action of the fan in one corner of his room. He drifted off thinking about the dream he had had, a pleasant one for a change. He opened his eyes and tried to resist looking at the clock.

It read 7:26 am.

_How did twenty minutes pass so quickly?_

He sighed again and pushed off the comforter he been clutching up to his chin. Cold air struck his feet as he walked across the room to his closet. He turned up the thermostat just a bit. October was quickly ending. He smiled at the thought of the coming weekend and his favorite holiday, Halloween.

A few minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom dressed in a pair of white cotton boxers and slippers. He carried his pajamas back to the closet and looked for something suitable to wear that Thursday morning.

He decided on his dark brown cords a white shirt and a brown and white checked sweater vest. He perused his ties and decided not to put one on that day. He put on one white sock and one dark brown sock with his dirty white converse shoes.

He picked up his go bag and his messenger bag. A glance at the clock told him he could stop at Starbucks for a muffin and coffee if he hurried.

---

Emily stepped off the elevator and almost ran into JJ who hurried by with a stack of files in her arms. "Oh good…" She smiled at Emily.

"I don't think I like that look," Emily responded as they headed into the bullpen.

"You know me too well." The blond liaison said. "These are for you."

"JJ! Give me a break! I've still got a stack on my desk from last week."

"I know!"

They stopped in front of Reid's desk, which had fake spider webs and plastic black spiders covering every surface he didn't need for work.

"If you know, why are you giving me more?"

JJ grinned at her friend. "Because you love this job and you constantly need more." She quipped.

"That's very funny!'

"It sounds logical to me." Morgan said coming out of the break room.

"You sound like Reid."

"Oh JJ… You're starting with the insults early."

"Don't pretend you're insulted Morgan." Emily dropped her bags next to her desk.

"You think I like being compared to the kid." Morgan asked in an insulted tone, but his eyes twinkled brightly at the thought of his friend.

"Yes…" JJ and Emily chorused.

"Hey handsome," Garcia entered the bullpen.

"Good morning baby girl."

"I'll show you a good morning hot stuff."

"I know you will mama.

JJ grinned at her flamboyant friend who wore a purple scoop top with a white skirt that had large purple pansies all over it. She had matching purple frames for glasses and a white chunky necklace that hung down to the top of her cleavage. Her shoes matched her glasses and the purple streaked in her upswept hair.

"Come on Garcia, I'll buy you a cup of coffee and some stale office donuts."

"It's not as great as an extra day off for play, but I'll take you up on it."

JJ and Garcia headed to the break room as the elevator doors opened to reveal the youngest member of their team. He hurried down the stairs to his desk, bypassing a smiling Morgan.

"Sleep through your alarm Reid," Morgan asked.

"No… I spent too much time at Starbucks. I'm not late anyway. It's only quarter to nine."

"Alright kid, you don't have to get testy."

Reid arranged his bags under his desk and turned on his computer. The bullpen began to fill up with agents working on files or talking to local law enforcement officers all over the country. Morgan hunched over his desk as Emily came back to her desk with a hot cup of coffee.

"Come on guys… We've got an urgent one."

They followed her up to the conference room. Hotch sat at the table with Rossi and Garcia. JJ breezed in behind then with a stack of more files in her arms. She passed them out as she began to speak. "I just got this request from Baltimore."

She switched on the project and the smiling face of a man appeared. He had dark eyes and hair.

"This is Harvey Keller. He's the third one in a very unusual string of homicides. He was found in the basement of an abandoned building locked in a coffin."

She brought up photos of the crime scene to the white board."

"JJ!"

"Sorry Garcia," the unit liaison apologized.

The man's hands were in bloody claws. His mouth had opened in a silent scream. There were scratches in the lid of the coffin as though he'd tried to claw his way out of the coffin.

"He was buried alive." Reid said with keen interest.

Garcia held a piece of white paper in front of her face. She looked over at Reid and he shrugged his shoulders at her.

"Yes… Someone called the police and told them where to find him. He'd been dead for a couple of hours when they got the tip."

"That's pretty brazen." Rossi observed. "I don't suppose we have a copy of the call to the police."

"Yes sir," Garcia looked relieved to focus her attention on something other than the photos of the crime scene.

She turned on the recording that had come into a 911 operator in Baltimore.

_"911 what is your emergency?'_

_A low and silky male voice responded. "He's in the basement at 9 Warehouse Street. He hath been judged and paid for his sins."_

_"Sir… What's your name?"_

_"I am Death."_

There was a click and a hissing sound. "That's all we have." Garcia said.

"It doesn't sound like he tried to alter or disguise his voice in any way."

"We have the same kind of recordings from the other two killings as well." JJ informed them. "They all sound the same. He doesn't give his name except to call himself Death and to say that they paid for their sins."

"What happened to the other men?" Emily asked as she stared at the photos on the white board.

"The first victim was found in abandoned apartment building that was scheduled for demolition in a couple of weeks. They found the body dismembered and hidden under the floor boards."

Garcia hissed in a breath, but no one commented. "Was the cause of death suffocation?" Reid asked.

"Yeah… How did you know?"

He rubbed one hand along the edge of his jaw line. "How was the other man killed?" He asked JJ, ignoring her question.

She gave him an odd look. "Another body in another basement cut in half with a large blade the cops found with the body."

"He was tied down and the blade, shaped like a half moon swung back and forth lowering as it did till it split the body." Reid said.

Garcia stared at him in disbelief. Morgan raised an eyebrow and Hotch said. "What are you getting at Reid?"

"I think you know Hotch."

"He's reenacting death scenes from Edgar Allen Poe's works." Hotch said.

"Yes," Reid agreed.

"They all were sinners in his eyes." Hotch said as JJ nodded. "He's become a vigilante."

"He's more than that," Rossi commented. "He might have started out that way, but it's the torture he enjoys the most."

"What are the names of the other victims?" Garcia enquired. "I'll see if I can dig up a connection between them."

"Elliot Carter and Stanley Olsen," JJ said.

Garcia left the conference room.

"Let's get on the road then," Hotch said. "It's a two hour drive."

----

The man placed a photograph of his next target on the wall of his basement lair. The large room, enclosed in red and black brickwork, shut out the outside world for him.

Newspaper accounts of the deaths of the guilty papered the wall around the antique rosewood writing desk. A large bookshelf took up half the south side of the basement room. He walked over to the books and removed his well-loved and worn copy of "The complete works of Edgar Allen Poe." He turned to his favorite poem that he could recite by heart. There was something about reading the written word from an actual book, which soothed his nerves.

His work brought him a measure of joy he had not felt since his wife had been so tragically killed. Still, he wouldn't think about her. The time was coming for him to punish the last of his sinners and then he could go be with her.

He walked to the north end of the room and sat down next to the coffin he'd taken from the funeral home before they put her in the cold and unforgiving ground.

"Don't worry my dear. Soon my suffering will be over." He coughed. "We'll be together once more and happy."

Tears leaked out of his eyes and onto the surface of the coffin, he had kept polished to a high shine. He wiped them away and opened his book. "I'll read your favorite tonight."

_It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of ANNABEL LEE;--_

_And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me. She was a child and I was a child, In this kingdom by the sea, But we loved with a love that was more than love-- I and my Annabel Lee-- _

_With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me. And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud by night Chilling my Annabel Lee; So that her high-born kinsman came And bore her away from me, To shut her up in a sepulcher In this kingdom by the sea. The angels, not half so happy in Heaven, _

_Went envying her and me:--_

_Yes! That was the reason_

_(As all men know, in this kingdom by the sea)_

_That the wind came out of a cloud, chilling_

_And killing my Annabel Lee. But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we-- Of many far wiser than we- And neither the angels in Heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee:--_

_For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride, In her sepulcher there by the sea-- In her tomb by the side of the sea._

He shut the book and leaned over the coffin to kiss its polished surface. "Sleep my Queen," he caressed its surface with one hand. "Tomorrow brings me ever closer to thee."

_**A/n The text of the poem is from "Annabel Lee." **_


	3. Raven Feathers

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n thanks again to all my loyal readers. You guys are the best. Also, many thanks to my constant beta REIDFANATIC who keeps me sane. **_

_**Raven Feathers**_

"Hey Spence…" JJ said from her seat next to him in the back of the company SUV.

"Yeah," he said distractedly as he perused the file in his hands.

"You seem pretty excited about this case."

He looked up at her, going pink at the expression on her face. "I'm not excited. I'm appalled." He said.

"You seemed pretty excited to be going to Baltimore this morning."

He looked out at the trees flying by the freeway. The gold, crimson and purple leaves had begun to fall from their limbs, making colorful piles on the golden grass.

"Spence!"

"You'll think I'm crazy," he said in a low voice.

"When has that stopped you?"

His head whipped around at her teasing tone. Her blue eyes danced at the look on his face. Finally, he smiled back at her. "Yeah… I never know when to shut up, do I?"

"If you hadn't noticed, no one seems to care anymore," she pointed out. "You always have some kind of insight that helps the team find the un-sub."

"This isn't really about the un-sub." He said slowly, going pink again.

"Then what is about?" She inquired seriously.

"Edgar Allen Poe is buried in Baltimore. I'd love to see his home and museum."

"Focus Spence… We have to find a killer."

Reid went pink in the cheeks. "I know JJ… I thought I'd ask Hotch for a couple of days after we finish the case." He said in a very low tone.

"You're weird Spence."

"I like his work JJ…," he said very excitedly. "Did you know that the hospital where he died - under very mysterious circumstances - was rumored to be the sight of body snatching and dubious medical experiments?"

"That's great Reid. Can you pay attention to the case?" Hotch spoke up from his position in the driver's seat.

Reid shut his mouth with a snap and looked at JJ. She shrugged and went back to her files. Reid looked up at Hotch through his eyelashes while pretending to look at his case file. Hotch was so uptight these days and less likely to excuse lapses in concentration. Reid sighed and wondered if they would catch Foyet before Hotch lost it completely, or before Jack grew up, which ever came first. Foyet couldn't have conceived a worse torture if he'd thought about it for years.

Reid looked back out the windows, trying to see the connection between three men killed in the same ways Poe had conceived in his stories. Why would this person use these particulars methods? He said the men had sinned. Was that just an excuse for him to kill them? Did he like the killing or was there something else at work?

----

A very tall and thin Baltimore police officer met them as they arrived at the scene of the latest killing. The building was located on the pier at the very north end.

"This place was scheduled to be knocked down next week." The officer told them. "Why would this guy call us when he could have let the demolition obscure his crimes?"

"Because he wants our attention," a voice said behind them. "Isn't that right Spencer?"

Everyone, including Reid, turned to see a very short, dark haired woman with emerald eyes walking toward them. She wore no nonsense shoes and a dark blue pants suit with a white blouse. Her hair framed her oval face and the smile she wore. She held a pair of sunglasses in one hand and a file in the other. A gun rested at her hip.

"This is -" The officer began.

"Scotty!" Reid said happily.

"Dr. Spencer Reid!" She closed the distance between them and hugged him while the others gaped in surprise.

"Oh… Sorry Spencer, it's just been a long time." She stepped back and replaced her sunglasses.

"Um… It's okay." He'd gone scarlet.

"Who's this fine looking woman Reid?" Morgan asked looking like Christmas had come early.

"Shut up Morgan." Emily smacked his shoulder.

"Um… Well this is Detective Katherine O'Donnell."

"Pleased to meet you," she said with a slight Scottish accent.

"This is my team," Reid went on ignoring Morgan's smile. "This is SSA Jennifer Jareau, SSA Hotchner, SSA Rossi, SSA Prentiss and SSA Morgan."

"I'm glad you're here. I'm baffled by all the Edger Allen Poe similarities." She walked into the building next to Reid, but spoke to the whole team. "Not that I'm surprised, as it's the 150th anniversary of his death. There's been a citywide celebration going on all year. It's brought out the crazies."

"So you saw the resemblance too." Rossi asked her as they descended the rickety stairs to the basement.

"Yes… Poe was - is," she corrected herself, "A favorite author of mine. His poetry is good too. In fact, there's something I'd like you all to see when we get back to the station."

"What is it?" Hotch enquired.

"I'd prefer you see all the files together. I don't understand what it means. The mayor is freaking out, thinking that if this gets out in the press it'll put a damper on the festivities."

"Heaven forbid he interferes with the tourist trade." JJ quipped.

"That's my thought exactly." Katherine said.

"Now, this is where the last body was found. The coffin seemed to be hand made from pine. He buried the victim under concrete.

"He took the time to crack the concrete and dig a grave." Morgan said looking around at the large room full of old machinery and rusted scrap metal.

"Yeah… No one's around so he had the place to himself."

"What about the coffin?"

"Like I said, it looked like it was handmade. I have checked with every funeral home in the city. None of them carries this type of coffin, not even the economy models like the kind that they use out at Potter's field."

"Reid, I want you and Detective O'Donnell to work on the Edgar Allen Poe angle of this and victimology. Dave… You and Morgan go to the second crime scene. Prentiss and I will take the first one." Hotch ordered.

"Do you want to see what I wanted to show you?" the detective asked Reid.

"Yes, I'm very curious."

"I'll bet he is," Morgan whispered to Rossi."

"Enough Morgan," Hotch turned his scowl on the younger man.

"I guess I'll do whatever it takes to make sure this Poe thing doesn't get into the news."

"If you can do that you're a miracle worker." Detective O'Donnell smiled at JJ.

"JJ's got a special affinity with the press." Emily told her.

"Well that'll be welcome for sure."

They took a last look around the scene and then headed back up to the vehicles. "So Reid," Morgan stopped the young doctor with a hand on his arm. "Why do you call her "Scotty?"

"You'll have to ask her."

----

"Okay Spencer, here the pictures I wanted you to look at." Katherine said as she led him into the conference room at the south end of the police station.

"Hey O'Donnell…" A uniformed officer yelled from one side of the bullpen. "Who's your friend?"

"Shut up Weisenski!"

Two other officers catcalled as they walked by.

"Quiet you idiots. Show some respect for the FBI," she shouted over her shoulder.

"You don't have to do that." Reid said as the catcalls and whistles died down behind them. "I'm used to being stared at."

"I don't allow my friends to be treated that way. They can shut up or I'll have a chat with our Captain."

"I don't want to get you into trouble."

She opened the door, waited for him to enter and shut it behind him. "You're not getting me in trouble Spencer. My Captain doesn't tolerate behavior like that. The only reason they acted that way, was that Captain Sims at a meeting with the Mayor over these cases. You can look forward to pressure from city and state government."

"We've dealt with that before," he assured her. "Um Katherine, I'm sorry about calling you Scotty back there in front of my team. I was surprised."

"Have I ever complained about that nick-name?"

"No…"

"Then don't worry about it. Stop calling me Katherine. No one calls me that except my dad. I like Scotty better."

"It's a boys' name." Reid squeaked.

"So what? Let's just get back to the case. I'll talk to you later."

He looked at the white board she'd set up along the far wall of the room. "What's that?" He pointed at one of the photos.

"I was hoping you could tell me. We found one at every crime scene."

Reid touched the picture of what looked like a raven's feather." This was found near the bodies?" He asked.

"Yeah… Beyond the obvious reference to "The Raven," I don't understand the significance."

"Well, in Norse legend the raven is associated with thought and wisdom. Did you know a raven can be taught to speak?"

She shook her head and leaned on the edge of the table.

"In Greek and Roman mythology, they were associated with the light of thought or intelligence because they are very intelligent birds. They have been associated with Athena and Apollo. Did you know that legend says the birds used to be all white, but were punished by the Gods because they couldn't keep a secret?"

"Are you saying this guy's punishing those who can't keep a secret?"

"I don't know… Ravens also have the reputation as harbingers of death. They often scavenge on battlefields, eating the flesh of dead soldiers. I'm sure that's how they got such a bad reputation. Now the poem Poe wrote is full of symbolism. I read a paper about that poem. The bird repeatedly visits the man in the poem driving him to insanity with its answers to the man's question. The raven uses the bust of Pallas as a perch. Pallas was the goddess of wisdom." Reid leaned on the table next to his friend. "He says he's punishing them for their sins when he calls into 911. Now, I think that's just a diversion. I think that these men might have known something or seen something."

"Are you sure?"

Reid shrugged his shoulders. "It could just be more distractions for the police. We need to know more about the men. I need to figure out if they're connected."

"Well okay, how do we do that?"

"We call Garcia."

"What's a Garcia?"

"I'll call her and you'll see." Reid promised her as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed her number.


	4. Conversation over Lunch

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**Conversation over Lunch**_

Reid switched his phone to speaker. He punched in Garcia's number and waited for her to answer.

"_You've reached Penelope Garcia, Supreme Goddess of the Information Superhighway. Speak fortunate mortal." _

Detective O'Donnell elbowed Reid and mouthed "Goddess," at him.

"Shut up…" He mouthed back as the detective laughed silently.

"Hi Garcia… Reid here," he said with a bit of a squeak.

"_Hello sweet cheeks… You must have read my mind. I was just about to call you." _

"Garcia, I have you on speaker. The rest of the team's out, but Detective Katherine O'Donnell is with me."

"_Hello detective," _Garcia said.

"Hi," Katherine said, grinning at Reid.

"Did you find something about our victims?"

"_I know everything there is to know about them handsome."_

Reid sat down to listen. Katherine sat across from him and pulled out her notebook.

"We're ready Garcia."

"_Okay… I'll start with the first victim. Elliot Carter, forty-seven years old. He worked as a carpenter. He didn't have a family and his parents are dead. He didn't have any brothers and sisters. In fact, I couldn't find any family for him at all. He paid all his bills on time. I didn't find any criminal record, not so much as one parking ticket. _

_The second victim, Stanley Olson, forty-five years old worked as an orderly for St. Mary's hospital in Baltimore. He's divorced, no children, again no family to speak of that I could find. I found a few parking tickets and one arrest for assault. _

_The latest victim, Harvey Keller is the most interesting. He'd just had his forty-second birthday. He worked as an accountant. He also had several DUIs on his record. He'd been from job to job in the last three years. His bosses had him under review for termination if he didn't stay sober. Since 2002, he has worked as an accountant for Garrison, Toby and Carlton. I can't find any spouses, children or family." _

"Is that all Garcia?"

"_You have that tone in your voice baby cakes, which says you doubt me." _

"I'd never doubt you Garcia."

"_I'll keep digging, but only because you're cute and I have a reputation to protect." _

She hung up without goodbye.

Detective O'Donnell, began to laugh.

"What?"

"Nothing, I like her a lot. She's great. I'm glad you have someone that cares about you. I didn't think the FBI allowed it's agents to fraternize."

Reid looked at her in confusion, and then a light came on in his eyes. "She's not my girlfriend! She talks to everyone like that, well except for Hotch. She has a boyfriend at Quantico who's another technical analyst. She's my best friend, though."

"It's none of my business, sorry for making assumptions."

"It's okay. Garcia can be a bit of a mother bear, or so says JJ."

"She seems like it."

"So back to the case," Reid said, missing the look on his old friend's face."

"Yeah… So we know that this guy is in to killing people that are apparently alone in the world. Why? Does it make them easier targets?"

"Maybe, perhaps the un-sub is alone in the world too."

The conference door opened and the rest of the team filed into the room. "I just got off the phone with Garcia." Reid told them as they sat down around the table.

"What did she say?" Hotch asked.

Reid relayed what Garcia had found for them.

"So Harvey Keller is the only one that might fit into this guy's view of a sinner."

"Um… Scot- I mean Detective O'Donnell and I was talking about these." Reid pointed out the photographs of the ravens feathers.

He told them the same facts about the raven as he'd shared with the detective.

"So you think he's playing with us?" Hotch asked.

"I think it's a good possibility."

Hotch nodded his head. "I think you're right. Still, let's see if Garcia can dig a bit further under the surface. Unfortunately, these men were loners. We don't have family and friends to talk to about them. We'll have to rely on neighbors and co-workers."

"We did the knock on doors for each one of them as the killings happened," the detective said. "I'll get the reports for you."

Hotch nodded. "Thanks…" He looked at his watch. "It's nearly six pm."

"Time flies when you're having fun." Morgan quipped.

"There's a great little sandwich place around the corner," Detective O'Donnell said. "We're there so often they give me a discount. Give me your orders and I'll get some food for us."

"You don't have to do that," Hotch said. "It's not your job to wait on us."

"I wasn't planning on it SSA Hotchner. I'll just call it in and make Officer Weisenski go get it." She winked at Reid who went pink in the cheeks.

The food arrived half an hour later. Katherine made Officer Weisenski pass out the sandwiches and drinks to everyone before dismissing him. He gave her a withering look before stalking out of the room.

"Okay… What was that all about?" Morgan asked.

"He doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut." Katherine said, unwrapping her ham and Swiss on rye.

Reid kept his eyes on the roast beef and cheddar on sourdough he'd ordered.

Morgan tried another tact. "So where did you two meet?" He asked Katherine.

"Morgan!"

"Come on Hotch… We need a break to rest the brain cells and refuel." Morgan said.

"You don't have to answer him." Rossi told the detective.

"It's okay with me if it's okay with Spencer."

Reid choked on his Dr Pepper. "I don't care," he squeaked.

"We met about six months before he joined the FBI at Comic-con. I was there with some friends and he was there with a couple of friends from school. We competed against each other in a Star Trek trivia contest."

"Great… Another trekkie," Morgan said around his giant hoagie.

"Who won?" JJ asked curiously, as she delved into her pasta salad.

"I did," Katherine said.

It was Morgan's turn to choke on his food. "You're kidding me!"

"Nope," Katherine took a bite of her spinach salad.

"How did you do that?" Emily blurted out. "Sorry detective, I didn't mean to say -"

"It's okay… I didn't know who he was or that he had this genius thing going on so I wasn't intimidated."

"There had to be more to it than that." Morgan said, pointing a spoon at the detective.

"Do you want to tell them or shall I?" Katherine asked Reid.

Reid shook his head and studied his sandwich as if it might disappear right in front of him.

"Spencer has a prejudice again anything that isn't strictly Star Trek. I happen to like The Next Generation better."

"I don't have a prejudice." Reid retorted with the air of having had this argument hundreds of times in the past.

"Whatever!"

The team stopped eating and stared at them.

"She's exaggerating," Reid protested.

"He's in denial." Katherine said. "I won fair and square and he can't handle it."

"Yes I can!"

Emily giggled and Morgan laughed outright. Even Hotch's mouth was twitching a little.

"Admit it Spencer… If it isn't the original series, you pretend like it doesn't exist."

"What about you? You don't like the original series. You're the one that has a prejudice against the most groundbreaking science fiction series in the history of television."

"Okay wow, take a breath before your head explodes kid," Morgan laughed.

Reid looked at Hotch who seemed to be very interested in his potato salad. He could just see the smile on his boss's face.

"This argument will never be over as long as you're in denial." Katherine told Spencer.

"So how did you two get to be friends if you can't agree on who won that contest?"

"Spencer congratulated me. He was a very good loser. So I asked him out."

Reid choked again on his food.

"Oh… Sorry Spencer, open mouth insert foot." She shrugged.

"It's okay…"

"You guys dated."

"Morgan, how about we leave them alone and get back to work?" Hotch interrupted.

Everyone heard the command in Hotch's voice including Katherine who picked up her file. "Right, so let's go over it again shall we," she said.

Rossi grinned at her. "Whatever you say little lady?"

----

He pulled off his gloves and sat down in front of the mirror over his dressing table. A large portrait of a woman with flowing red hair and deep green eyes looked down at him as he began to work on his face.

"Dear sweet wife," he said in a silky whispering voice. "You shall not wait much longer for me. The police think they know all about me, but I'm leading them around by the nose, just as I'll lead around the profilers from Quantico.

He blew a kiss to her. "I'll see you very soon my sweet. Until then sleep well."

---

Garcia hummed as she watched code and information scroll down on her screens. So far, her searches hadn't turned up much, but patience had its rewards.

Someone knocked on her door and she jumped. "Who is it?" she shouted.

The door opened. "Are you busy my sweet?" Kevin asked.

"Go away," She waved at him. "I'm busy.

"Did you forget we had plans for dinner tonight?"

"I'm sorry Kevin. I can't, I really need to find something and I'm running a background check on a detective."

"You're what!"

"You heard me!"

He leaned against her desk. "Pen, you promised me and Hotch you wouldn't look into cops anymore."

"This isn't any cop. There's something going on with her and my Reid. I can hear it in his voice. I'm going to find out everything I can about her."

Kevin smiled. "Can't it wait until tomorrow?" He begged. "We haven't had a nice night out in weeks."

She relented and smiled back at him. "Okay, I'll set up my system to alert me by email on my phone if something comes up."

"That's all I ask."

"Come on my tech god, you owe me Italian," She got up and pulled him by his tie out of her office


	5. Another piece to the Puzzle

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**A/n thanks again to all my loyal readers for your kind reviews. Also, a speacial thanks to my beta and friend REIDFANATIC for her constant help and support. **_

_**Another piece to the Puzzle**_

Reid adjusted his tie and swiped at his hair. He looked around the hotel room JJ had assigned him, making sure that he had collected all his files and the crime scene photos he had studied far into the night.

He yawned and looked at his watch. Perhaps he had enough time for coffee at the hotel café if he really hurried.

He jumped like a scalded cat when someone knocked at his door. Actually, he knew exactly who it was. He sighed and realized he could not keep hiding from his teammate. He walked slowly to the door, trying to put off the moment as long as he could.

"Hey Reid, I _know_ you're in there." Morgan shouted through the door and knocked impatiently.

Reid threw open the door and confronted his partner. "Why don't you yell a bit louder so someone calls the cops?"

Morgan stepped around him into the room. "You're exaggerating again!"

"Make yourself _right_ at home." Reid said as he shut the door much harder than he needed to.

"Come on kid… I just wanted to see how you slept. "

"I slept fine… We're going to be _late_." Reid stood by the door as Morgan sat down on the edge of his unmade bed.

"We've got a few minutes.

"No we don't have a few minutes. I want to go get coffee."

"I'll buy you coffee later."

"Morgan… What do you want?"

"I just thought we could talk before we have to meet everyone."

Reid crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Okay… I admit it. I'm curious about Detective O'Donnell."

"I told you… If you want to know you have to ask her."

The twinkle of play left Morgan's eyes. "I'm not trying to tease you Reid. I saw how you were looking at her yesterday."

"I wasn't looking at her any special way. We have been friends for years. We dated for a couple of months, but she wanted to be a cop and I wanted the BAU. It didn't work out."

"Why don't you talk to her?"

"Please, just leave it alone." Reid begged his friend.

"What can it hurt?"

"She's engaged to be married."

"How do _you_ know? I had the impression you haven't talked for a long time."

"We haven't, not for about two years. I've been so busy with work and - look Morgan I don't want to talk about her love life. I tell my friends the same thing when they feel it necessary to update me about her. So leave me _alone_. We have a job to do."

Reid grabbed his messenger bag and slammed out of the room leaving a bewildered Morgan behind.

----

"We're looking for a white male in his middle to late fifties." Hotch said to the officers gathered around them in the bullpen. "He's in very good physical condition. There're no signs of struggle on the bodies except for the torture inflicted on them before they died."

"This man is obsessed with death and the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. All of his victims died the same way as Poe's characters in some of his best-known works. The raven's feather is a symbol of his mission. It's also a reminder of Poe." Reid added.

"So you're saying some crazy is out there imitating a man that's been dead for 150 years." A police officer said to a chorus of snickers.

"No… Dr. Reid is saying this man is acting out the writings of an author. Poe wasn't a serial killer." Emily said staring down the officer.

"Yeah Stevens, haven't you ever read "The Tell-Tale Heart?" Another cop called out as most of them laughed.

"We can't focus everything on his obsession." Morgan said through the laughter. "He could be using it to throw us off just like the phone calls to 911."

"Why call the police?" A female officer asked.

"He wants you to know about him. He's bragging about his abilities. Every serial killer will contact the police or interact with the body. He doesn't go back to interact with the bodies or take souvenirs from what we've seen so calling the police is a way to relive the murders," Rossi continued. "Also, he's got the city's fascination with Poe."

"So what are we supposed to do? Look for bird watchers with an unhealthy fascination with crows." Weisenski quipped.

"They're raven feathers." Katherine interrupted. "We're increasing patrols around the warehouse district and buildings in the city that are scheduled for immediate demolition."

"Detective, that's going to take a chunk of us away from the streets," one cop pointed out.

"Not really, these FBI agents have a full list from their analyst in Washington. It's better than random surveillance."

"We believe he may be on a time table. He's limited in his kills by the number of different ways Poe killed. There are only so many scenarios he can act out."

Detective O'Donnell's phone rang. She moved out of the bullpen to take the call.

The team met back at the conference room, leaving a bullpen full of grumbling officers behind them. "I hate that we don't have more to go on," Emily said to JJ.

"You're telling me. I have to make a statement to the press later today."

"This guy's smart. He doesn't leave any forensic links at the crime scene. There's no DNA, no fingerprints, no nothing." Morgan chimed in.

"This isn't the hardest case we've had." Hotch said over his shoulder.

JJ and Reid looked at each other. Morgan raised an eyebrow and Rossi said, "You're right. We've had our share of difficult cases this year."

They took their places around the table as Detective O'Donnell entered the room. "I just got a call from the state pathologist. She found something on the last body."

"What did she find?" Hotch asked.

"Writing ink," Katherine said.

"Writing ink…" Emily inquired.

"To be more specific, the kind of ink used one hundred and fifty years ago."

"Where would someone get writing ink that old?" Morgan asked.

"I don't know… Yet," Katherine said. "I've got Weisenski tracking it down."

"Scotty!" Reid blurted out and then blushed.

"What?"

"You don't have to keep pushing him."

"Actually I do," She said.

"But -"

"Can we get back to the case?" She said, giving him a strange look.

"Okay…" He refused to look at anyone on the team.

Minutes passed in silence. Reid jumped when his phone rang. He reached for it as a dying man reaches for a life preserver.

"Reid!" He squeaked.

"Hey junior G-man, I found something."

"I'm putting you on speaker."

"_Hello my doves… My babies worked all night and found something interesting about Harvey Keller. He was the defendant in a civil suit for wrongful death." _

"What did he do Garcia?"

"_He was suspected in the hit and run death of one Caroline Monroe. She was killed five years ago right here in Baltimore. A witness saw the car speed off. They got a partial license plate, but it was too dark to see who was driving. Unfortunately, the judge threw out the case on a technicality. The witness couldn't ID him and a search warrant for his car had some clerical errors. The judge ruled all the physical evidence, found in the search, inadmissible. The defense won their case. _

"So he got away with vehicular manslaughter." Hotch said.

"_Yeah… Mrs. Monroe's husband rushed home from New England where he'd been working as a sales representative for a publishing company. His car crashed on a lonely stretch of highway. He didn't survive the wreck which burned like a torch." _

"Who brought the suit?" Hotch asked.

"_Her brother, Maxwell Timmons," Garcia said. _

"What was the outcome?"

"_The court ruled in favor of Keller for the same reasons the DA dropped the charges, not enough evidence. There is something else that's really strange about that case?" _

"What else did you find?" Hotch inquired.

"_I had to break a seal on that case. First, something like that shouldn't have a seal on it. Secondly, I've broken many seals on files and the coding and encryption doesn't look like what most Federal and State governments use. It's too good." _

"Do you have theory?" Hotch asked, deciding to ignore her candid admittance to breaking seals.

"_No… I'm looking into it." _

"Anything else Garcia," Rossi asked.

"_Yes… Reid asked me to look for unusual crimes in Baltimore for the last five years."_

"You found something," Reid said with interest.

"_Yeah… The Home and Museum of Edgar Allen Poe suffered a burglary six months ago. The only thing taken was a stuffed Raven." _

"Is that all Garcia?"

"_That's all for now my lovelies." _

She disconnected the call

"Let's go talk to Mr. Timmons. " Hotch said to Morgan.

"Yeah…"

"Emily, you and Rossi go talk to the witness to the hit and run. See if they can remember anything about that car or what happened the night of the hit and run."

"Sure thing boss," Rossi said as he got out of his chair.

"Reid, you and Detective O'Donnell go to the museum and talk to the curator. See what else he can tell you about that robbery."

----

The man shut the door to his sanctuary. He put the latest photos he'd taken on his desk. His timetable had almost ended. All Hallows Eve had arrived. He'd grab the last sinner right from under the police and FBI. It would end for good by the next midnight.

He picked up the phone and dialed a number. The person on the other end of the line spoke back to him for a long time.

"Thank you very much… Yes, I will have the money for you tonight after I have shown the FBI there are consequences in challenging me. No! Do not threaten me! I am paying you very well for help. Remember if I go down so do you!"

He slammed down the phone and looked up at the portrait of his beloved wife. "I'm almost finished. There's only one more example to be made, and then I can join you in heaven my darling."

He went to her coffin sitting against the wall of the basement. "Don't worry… It will not be long before we are together forever."

He went back to his desk and turned on the computer. His contact had sent him all the information on the profilers he needed. Usually, he discouraged his helper from sharing his personal observations, but in this case, knowing everything there was to know about Spencer Reid would prove helpful. If the FBI came too close, he'd teach them a lesson through the young Dr. Reid.

The young man had survived much in the last four years. The man looked over the reports provided to him and smiled in anticipation. The young agent had survived torture and pain. It had not broken him or driven him away from the FBI

He smiled. He almost hoped the FBI came to close. It would be his greatest triumph to break this young man and then kill him.


	6. It Takes one to Know One

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**It Takes one to Know One **_

Reid followed Katherine out the door of the conference room. A female officer met them in the hallway. "Detective… I have someone in the bullpen that wants to talk to you. He says he knew all the victims."

Reid and Katherine looked at each other. Reid shrugged, "Let's find out what he knows."

"Bring him back to interrogation room four."

She veered left and opened a gray metal door. Reid took one chair right in front of the large two-way mirror. Detective O'Donnell took another chair next to him and smiled. They waited in silence till the officer brought in a tall, stooped-shouldered grey haired man.

"This is Charles Markowitz. He claims to have known the victims."

The officer left the room and shut the door behind her.

"Mr. Markowitz. I'm Detective O'Donnell and this is Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Reid from the Behavioral Analysis Unit."

The older man sat down as though he were in great pain. He adjusted the silver-rimmed glasses he wore over his light blue eyes. "I don't know what to say." Tears had filled his eyes.

"Just start from the beginning," Reid said gently.

"I head up an AA group. All of the murdered men were in the group. I knew them all."

"We know the last victim had a drinking problem, but not the others." Katherine said.

Mr. Markowitz sighed, "Harvey was the newest member to the group. I don't think he came because he wanted to. His boss threatened to fire him if he didn't get off the booze. He came at first because he had to. Then, he changed I don't know what happened. Elliot and Stanley weren't like Harvey. They'd both been sober for years. They both stopped drinking on their own before they got into trouble with the police. They were the exception to the rule in a lot of ways."

"So when was the last time you saw them all together."

Mr. Markowitz looked down at his hands. "I can't say. It was a meeting but…"

"Sir, I appreciate the need for discretion, but all three of these men are dead. We don't know if someone else is a target."

Markowitz nodded his head. "I know… I came here because I'm concerned. I just don't know how to do this."

Detective O'Donnell opened her mouth. Reid put a hand on her arm and withdrew something from the pocket of his cords. He handed it to Markowitz who looked up in surprise.

"I've been sober for over a year." Reid said.

Katherine stared at him. Reid kept his eyes on Markowitz. "I know…" He said.

"Okay… Harvey, Stanley, Elliot, James and I had an impromptu meeting six months ago. As I said, Harvey was reluctant to be there. Then, one night he came into a meeting. Usually we average about ten people a meeting. This night we had a very rare early spring snowstorm. Harvey came in last and he just started to talk and he confessed to killing someone in a hit and run."

"But why -" Katherine said.

"It was like doctor-patient confidentiality. I couldn't go to the police. None of us could," Markowitz said. "Now I wish I had. Only James and I are still alive. What if it has something to do with what Harvey said?"

"You said the oath of confidentiality is sacred." Katherine reminded him. "Would any of them break that oath?"

"Before all of this happened, I would have said no, but now," He lifted his hands and let them fall to his sides. "I just don't know."

"So do you think James could be the one that betrayed your trust?"

Markowitz laughed bitterly. "I can read between the lines of your question, Dr. Reid. You think one of us is the killer. I can only say that it's not me and I know it's not James."

"Why…"

"Because James can't walk without crutches or leg braces. There's no way he could've killed those men. He just doesn't have the physical strength to pull it off."

Reid and Detective O'Donnell looked at each other.

"I need to talk to James. I need his full name." Katherine said.

"I can't tell you."

"Mr. Markowitz…"

"It's okay Detective," Reid said ignoring her look. "Do you know where he works?"

"I shouldn't say."

"Sir, we just want to keep him safe. You said yourself you came in because you wanted to help." Katherine said softly.

"Alright, I think he works at that Edgar Allen Poe museum."

Reid successfully kept his eyes on their witness. "Thank you for coming in Mr. Markowitz. You've been an invaluable help."

"What happens now?"

"I'm assigning a couple of officers to keep an eye on you till we get this guy. "

"I'm not going into protective custody." The man declared, getting out of his chair.

"Mr. Markowitz…"

The man rounded on Reid. "With respect, I hit bottom ten years ago after I lost everything. I tried to commit suicide more than once. I'm not afraid of death."

"Okay…"

"Okay," Katherine repeated. "Spencer you can't -"

"We can't force him to accept protection." He shook hands with the older man. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too… Good luck."

"I don't need luck, just a meeting at least once a week." Reid responded.

"I hear that," and with that the man left the room.

"Spencer! Are you crazy?"

"No, I think having a couple of officers look after him is a good idea. Let's keep it low key."

----

Detective O'Donnell got into the drivers seat of her car. Reid waited for her in the passenger seat with his medallion in his fingers. He made it dance across his knuckles and back to his left hand.

"I haven't seen you do magic tricks in a long time." Katherine said.

He did not speak.

"I'm sorry Spencer. I didn't know."

"I'm not mad at you."

She reached out and touched his face. "Why won't you look at me?"

"We haven't spoken in two years Scotty. What do you want me to say?"

"It's not my fault we haven't talked. You stopped returning my calls. I knew something was wrong, but you shut me out. How do you expect me to feel?"

He looked at her and his eyes were hot and shiny. "This isn't about you. You and I decided a long time ago to call it quits. We had a good friendship for a long time.

Reid cleared his throat, "We went to Georgia on a serial murder case. The un-sub suffered from Multiple Personality Disorder. He kidnapped and tortured me. He also injected me with Dilaudid mixed with a powerful hallucinogenic drug. When I overdosed, his benign personality brought me back to life.

I wasn't strong enough to stop using the drugs for months. I wanted to call you every day, but then I Kyle to me about your engagement to Justin. I _needed_ you and not just as a friend."

"Spencer I -"

"I don't want to talk about it. I know you're happy. I'm okay with that."

"Spencer Reid, would you _listen _to me."

"No… We need to go talk to the curator of the museum, who happens to be James Cornell. I think he's the other man in the AA group."

"How do you know?"

"I called Garcia while you were arranging a tail for Mr. Markowitz."

"I'm not engaged Spencer." Katherine said suddenly.

His head whipped around and his face went from white to scarlet so fast it was as if someone threw red paint in his face.

"What?"

"If you'd bothered to call me and trust me, you'd know that Justin and I broke up six months ago."

"_Why_?" Reid blurted out. "No, I don't want to know. It's none of my business. We'll talk about it later."

"Okay… Let's go talk to James. Maybe we can get him to accept protection."

She started the car and put it in gear. "I'm sorry." She said.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I should have known something was happening with you. I didn't want to deal with anything about Justin and me breaking up. I mean, we all used to hang out together till the group all went its separate ways. It was just too weird."

"I know…."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that alone." She looked over at him briefly.

"I'm not alone. I have great friends, my team and the Beltway Clean Cops. They all had a part in saving my life, literally."

She didn't respond until they pulled into the parking lot at the museum. She turned off the car and looked down at her hands.

"I'm glad this case brought us together."

"Me too…" He said softly.

He pocketed the coin and got out of the car. "Come on… The sooner we talk to Mr. Cornell, the sooner we might have something to work with," He said.

"Yeah…"

She followed him out of the car and into the cool air of the museum.

---

He shut the door that connected his office with the museum. His contact had performed well. He chuckled at the thought of his "helper," taking the heat for these murders.

James pushed himself along on his crutches and braces. It was tedious to pretend he couldn't walk, but necessary. He would have to be very careful though. The word had come back to him that Aaron Hotchner's team had the best profilers in the world.

He laughed to himself as he looked out at the museum through that peephole he'd installed in the wall. His last target was out of reach. He'd moved too slow, underestimated that stupid Charles. Still, he had the backup plan in Spencer Reid.

It was true what they said in AA, it took one addict to know another. Someone he'd once worked with had a very expensive cocaine habit that paid off. In return for James not turning him in and telling his wife he'd helped James act the part. He'd coached James on how to act as an addict and spew off all the stupid self-serving crap they wanted to hear in their useless little meetings.

James had done them a favor in killing half the group. They didn't have to worry about their petty little problems anymore. He did society a favor. Now he'd rid the FBI of a potential problem. They should be thanking him.

He hobbled out into the entryway of the museum. "Good afternoon… May I help you?" He said in a strong and practiced British accent.


	7. Betrayal

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_Betrayal_**

Rossi maneuvered the borrowed SUV out of traffic. A last right hand turn brought them onto a long tree lined street. Orange pumpkins, carved for the holiday sat on porch steps, blending in or contrasting with fallen leaves.

He drove to the end of the lane, passing children masquerading as ghosts, Harry Potter, Spiderman and anime figures. Most of them ran in groups with an older sibling or parents.

"I'm glad I'm not home opening my door to a bunch of kids." Rossi said as the late afternoon sun began to sink into the horizon.

"Come on Rossi," Emily looked over at him with a mischievous smile. "Don't tell me you don't appreciate Halloween."

"No… That's Reid's holiday and he can have it."

A child broke away from one group and darted into the street. Rossi slammed on the breaks and cursed inventively as the child just looked at him and grinned through vampire makeup.

"See what I mean." He growled.

He turned into a driveway and shut off the engine. "I can't wait till this day is over."

"You're a spoil sport." Emily informed them as they headed up the driveway.

Their witness, Pauline Peters, opened the door with a smile and a bowl of candy. She couldn't have been more then five foot and thin as a rail. Her iron-grey hair was cut ruthlessly short. She styled it in tight curls all over her head. Her grey eyes matched her hair, but they were very warm as she looked at the agents.

"Oh my… I thought you were more children. I just love Halloween." She gushed in a voice that reminded Emily of a squeaking gate that needed oil.

Rossi rolled his eyes while Emily introduced them.

"My word, the FBI at my door," She enthused. "This is just like the X-files!"

Emily kept her face straight by biting the inside of her cheek. Where was Reid when you needed him? He'd get along famously with this woman.

"Ma'am…" Rossi said sounding a bit put out. "We need to ask you some questions about the accident you witnessed a few months ago."

The woman stared.

"May we come in?" Emily asked.

"Of course… Where are my manners?"

She led them into the living room. A small teacup poodle gamboled up to her and jumped into her lap when she sat down on the couch upholstered in white with pink rose buds all over it. Emily and Rossi took matching chairs that faced the sofa.

"Now Princess no treats till after your walk," She admonished the dog while patting its head.

"Ma'am about the accident," Rossi asked again, a bit sharply.

"Oh yes… That was so sad. That beautiful young woman killed by that drunk driver. They ought to string them all up.," she said.

"What did you see?" Emily asked.

"Why I saw the whole thing. I took Princess out for a walk. We had just turned the corner to the main road when we saw her. The car jumped the curb and sidewalk. He just hit her and drove off. I was so surprised I almost forgot to get the license. As it was, I only remembered the first part. I had my cell phone and I called the police right away. It was too late when they got here. She was dead. Princess was so upset. We're you baby girl." She cooed to the dog and stroked her head.

"Why were you out at ten pm?" Rossi asked bluntly.

"I couldn't sleep and neither could Princess. We went for a walk to help with the insomnia. This is a very safe neighborhood."

"Did you recognize the woman who died?"

"Yes… She and her husband just moved in. They kept a lot to themselves, but I had panned to take a welcome basket to them." She said with the air of someone that thinks she should have done the right thing, but she didn't, and now it was too late.

"I think I saw her husband a few months after she died. Of course I heard he died in a car wreck too, but I know what I saw." She declared.

"Thank you for your help ma'am." Rossi said in a tone that conveyed capitulation to the woman's odd behavior.

"Would you like to stay for cookies? I just made them."

Emily's stomach wanted the chocolate and sugar she'd smelled since walking in the door, but Rossi had got to his feet. They were on duty anyway.

"No ma'am… We have to get going."

"I hope I helped." Pauline said with real sincerity. "I just can't believe the courts let that man go."

"Yes ma'am… You helped us a great deal." Emily said kindly.

"Oh, I'm so glad. I always wanted to help the FBI with something important."

Rossi and Emily left before she could compare them to Mulder and Scully again.

"Television hasn't done anything for the Bureau," He complained. "It's made us all look ridiculous."

"Come on Rossi," Emily punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Where's your sense of fun?"

They got into the car and backed out into the street. "I don't mind fun Emily. I mind that she says she saw a dead man. The woman likes the X-files. She probably thinks he's an alien replacement or a ghost."

"How do you know she didn't see him? It wouldn't be the first time someone took advantage of an accident and faked their death."

"Now you sound like Mrs. Peters." Rossi said as he made a left hand turn out of the neighborhood and left the costumed kids behind.

"Hey, in every tall tale, there's an ounce of truth." Emily said.

"Fine… Call Garcia and see what she can dig up on him."

---- "May I help you?" The man said with a strong British accent.

"Yes… I'm Detective O'Donnell and this is Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Reid of the FBI."

The tall man in front of them raised an eyebrow. "You're young to be a doctor, and an FBI agent, if you don't mind my saying."

"I'm not a medical doctor. My degrees are PhDs."

"Oh… My apologies," He didn't sound sorry at all, Katherine thought.

"It's okay. We're here to talk to James Cornell."

"Then you're in luck. I am he."

"We're investigating three very violent deaths." Katherine began.

"What could I possibly tell the police about murder," Cornell smiled.

"We believe there's a connection to the raven from your display." Reid said.

"Come… I'll show you around while we talk."

Reid opened his mouth but the curator turned and hobbled away, expecting them to follow. They passed by a wall hung with red satin. On the left wall hung a portrait of a young woman dressed in white.

"That's Poe's young wife, Virginia. She died very young and left Mr. Poe heartbroken."

"With all due respect, we don't need the usual lecture." Katherine said impatiently.

"I'm sorry… It's difficult to turn off the lecturer in me." James laughed. "Ah, here's what you're looking for."

He pointed to a bust inside glass with a raven sitting on it. Inside, lying next to the bust was an old copy of The Raven and a quill that looked like a raven's feather.

"The new raven is a reproduction. The original," he said rolling his 'r' with relish, "The original raven was willed to us by a very generous patron years ago."

"We found raven feathers at the crime scenes." Reid said. "We'd appreciate it if you'd keep that detail to yourself, the press doesn't know and we'd like to keep it that way."

James smiled and made a twisting motion over his lips with one hand. He gripped his crutches and moved off down the hallway. "I have a study through this door. We can sit and talk. I get tired very easily these days."

"Of course."

They followed him into a room, which incorporated the red satin of the hallway. A telescope sat at one end of the room next to a desk made from red mahogany. James sat in the leather chair behind the desk with a groan and a sigh.

"Please be seated." He indicated the chairs on the other side of the large desk.

"So you told the police you thought it was an inside job." Reid began.

"It had to be. They didn't find any signs of forced entry. They didn't find any fingerprints. I don't understand why someone wanted it that badly. Now you say they're using the feathers to make some kind of statement at a murder."

"Yes… Mr. Cornell, I'll be frank," Detective O'Donnell said. "We had a visit from the leader of your AA group."

"Charles came to see you?" James had his hands tented under his chin.

"Yes… He reported that one of your groups confessed to murder. All of the killings were members of your group."

"I know…"

"You know and you're not concerned that you could be a target."

"Why would I be worried Dr. Reid?"

"You heard the confession. My opinion is that the un-sub wanted revenge on the man that killed someone while driving drunk." Reid explained as Detective O'Donnell watched them.

"I was injured in a car accident. They tell me I'm lucky to be alive. I've seen death and I'm not afraid."

"We can give you protection." Detective O'Donnell said.

"I don't need protection."

"Why?" Reid asked.

"For that same reason Agent Reid. I'm not afraid of death. It will come when it comes and there's nothing any of us can do about it."

"I don't think that's the reason." Reid said his tone growing cold.

"I knew from the minute I heard about you, that you'd be trouble." The man said, his face turning to ice, as he showed them the gun he'd been hiding under the desk. Reid trained his gun on the man at the same time Detective O'Donnell drew her weapon.

"How did you pull it off in your condition?" She asked bluntly.

"Ask Dr. Reid… He figured it out." James said in the same silky breathless voice they'd heard on the recordings to 911

She looked over at her friend whose right hand trembled a bit as he held the gun on the man who stood without the aid of his crutches.

"I knew the minute you mentioned death. It was in your body language. You can control some parts of conversation, but nonverbal communication is the most difficult to hide. I saw the minute I met you that you wanted desperately to brag about something. "

"Put your guns down." The man said ignoring Reid's last comments.

"You can't shoot both of us." Katherine said.

"No, but my friend behind you can get at least one of you."

"That trick won't work." Katherine said.

"I think it will."

Someone stepped into Katherine's line of sight and she gasped in unison with Reid. "Justin!' He said.

Katherine's ex-lover ignored his onetime friend. "Hello Katherine.

"Why?"

"Because you left me for him!" The man spat out at her, his dark eye blazing behind black rimmed glasses.

"Justin, she didn't leave you for me. We haven't seen each other in two years."

"Shut up Spencer," He shouted.

"Justin…" James said, "Do your job and you'll have your reward."

Katherine slumped, her gun falling to the floor, as she was pistol whipped hard by a man she'd once had no reason not to trust.

"Thank you Justin," James said. "Take her to my room."

"No…"

"Don't be tedious Dr. Reid. You're the one I need to complete my work. You see, your team interrupted me by coming here. I would have had Markowitz if not for you. Now put the gun on the table," James said as he cocked his pistol.

"We didn't seek him out." Reid said, keeping his gun on the man even though his hand shook.

"True, I didn't think he had it in him to go against the so-called sacred trust of the AA. What a laughable institution."

"AA does a lot of good for people they -"

"Spare me the platitudes Dr. Reid. I know all about you and your drug problem. I have my own contacts as you can see. If I can't have the revenge I want against Charles for being a spineless bleeding heart, I'll take you instead. Put the gun on the table. I don't want to kill you, at least not just yet. I promise nothing will happen to the lovely detective if you do as you're told and put down the gun."

Reid looked up into James' dark, but cold and empty eyes. He saw the truth in those eyes. This man would kill Katherine if he didn't cooperate. He laid his gun on the desk.

"Thank you Dr Reid." James took the gun.

"You've made interesting friends." Reid said changing tactics.

_If I can keep him talking…_

"You mean Justin?"

"Yes, how did you corrupt him?"

"He didn't need to be corrupted. He sought me out." James said as he casually leaned on the desk, his gun pointed at the doctor. "It was easy to commit the murders in a place where the best homicide detective would be assigned. I knew if the murders hit a high note on the unusual meter the BAU would file, which made Justin very happy."

The door opened again and Justin walked in with a syringe in his hand.

"Very good Justin. Lets make Dr. Reid comfortable."

"No!"

"Don't struggle Dr Reid." James put his gun in the waistband of his suit pants.

He took handcuffs from Justin and cuffed Reid's hands behind the chair.

"No…" Reid pulled against the cuffs and the chair so hard the wood began to creak. "I don't want it." His voice quavered and shook.

"It's just a little something to make you sleep." James said calmly as Justin readied the syringe.

"NO! I won't let you…"

He felt the sting of the needle in his arm and tears began to run down his face. It took a few minutes, but the world started to fade as his body went numb. His brain screamed against the familiar and half-forgotten sensations he'd once embraced like a lover.

_No!_

He'd fought so hard never to feel this way again because it never lasted. The world always came back. Blackness and dizziness fought for dominance as the man picked him up as though he weighed nothing. The walls of the room swam in and out before his eyes as his breathing slowed. The man walked toward a wall and it melted before him. They passed through utter blackness. Reid wanted to scream but he couldn't make it leave his mouth. More blackness descended on him as they moved down, and down, into more blackness broken only by yellow light that wavered around his head.


	8. The Maze

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**The Maze**_

Katherine woke up with her head throbbing in time with her heartbeat. She looked around to see red silk and satin all over the dark room. The only light came from a fireplace, its flames dancing in corner. The flames threw shadows around the room that seemed to take on monstrous shape as she surveyed the room.

_Stop imagining things and think!_

She sat up, which turned out to be a bad idea as her head swam. She sat still and took several deep breaths until the dizziness abated somewhat. Her hands brushed over something silky. She sat on a bed, a large four-poster bed. The carved mahogany posts threw shadows from the fire against the wall. The fire elongated the shadows to giant proportions.

She held her hands out in front of her face. Justin! He'd left her there without restraints as though she would just sit there and wait for him to come back.

Isn't that what you're doing?

She tried to stand up and swayed like a sailor on the high seas. Her legs tried to buckle so she grabbed one of the bed's posts.

Think!

She felt at her hip for her gun. No, it wouldn't be there. Justin had some smarts. In fact, he had nearly the same IQ as Spencer and he loved computers. He must have used his knowledge to work against her and Spencer.

"Stop it and get out of here." She said in a hoarse voice.

Of course, her cell phone had disappeared. She stamped a foot in frustration and almost fell. The pain throbbing in her head jacked up as she tried to look everywhere at once. There had to be some kind of weapon she could use to get ready for Justin or that James character. She shivered at the thought of that tall thin man that looked like he could snap you in half with a look.

"You're losing it!" She snapped to herself. "Get busy girl."

She stepped forward moving carefully so as not to fall on her face. The dizziness came back and she stumbled against the bed. She stopped and took more deep breaths. When she got out of here, Justin would regret what he'd done to her.

She tried to move again and found that the dizzy sensation came and went as she moved to the door. The knob twisted uselessly in her hand, but she shouted anyway. There had to be someone out there, right? No one came, not even James or Justin. She put her back to the door and looked back across the room to the nightstand. A framed picture stood there. She peered at it, just able to see a tall man with dark hair and eyes standing next to a beautiful red-haired woman with dark green eyes.

Katherine shook herself. Who were they really? She walked slowly back to the bed and picked up the frame. It felt heavy. It looked like solid silver. The surface had little flowers and leaves carved into it. It looked like some Victorian monstrosity she'd seen in a museum once on a trip to London after college.

Something rattled in the lock of the door and she almost dropped the frame. She frantically jumped on the bed, shoving the frame under her body as she closed her eyes. The door opened and someone walked into the room.

"Oh Katherine…" Justin said.

She bristled, tightening her grip on the picture frame.

His hand touched her head and she fought to stay still. If he would just stay, close enough for her to...

"I didn't want to hurt you but you left me no choice."

His hand caressed her face and she froze trying not to choke on the bile that rose to her throat at his touch. How could she say she'd once loved him?

"All I ever wanted was to love you and make you happy, but you had to be a cop. I didn't want you to get hurt. I didn't want you to be in the position of something like this."

He stroked her cheek and she shivered, hoping he wouldn't notice.

"When we get out of here we'll go someplace we can be happy. We'll be far away from the Baltimore Police Department and Spencer."

His voice took on the edge of acid. When had he come to hate Spencer so much? It wasn't like him. They'd once been inseparable.

"Why did you have to fall in love with him? You were supposed to have forgotten him and loved me. He's the one that left you."

She heard the tears in his voice and rage took over. She shifted and he jumped in surprise. "Spencer isn't a sniveling little coward like you." She shouted bringing up the heavy picture frame and smashing it into his face. The glass shattered, cutting into one of her hands as he fell heavily across her lap. She shoved frantically at his weight with blood-slicked hands. The coppery stench of her blood shut out the heavy perfume of roses in the room and the smell of the burning logs on the fire.

She stumbled away from Justin scanning the room for his keys. She couldn't see them anywhere. Her cuffs had disappeared. She had to find some way to leave this room and Justin so he couldn't follow her. Where did the damn keys go? She looked at the bed and her heartbeat sped up so fast the dizziness returned energetically. She reached over Justin for the keys sticking out from under his torso.

He reached out and grabbed her arm hard. She screamed as he pulled her down to look into his face. The blood ran down over his face like something out of a horror movie.

"Katherine!" He gasped.

She yanked her arms away from him and used an elbow to smash into his bleeding face. He went out like a steer under a pole ax. She stumbled away sobbing at the pain in her hands from the glass and the loss of trust in someone she had once loved enough to agree to marry.

"What did you do to him?" She shouted at the unconscious man. "Where is he?"

_He can't answer you. Use your head and get out before James hurts Spencer. _

She whirled around and opened the door with blood-slicked hands. The key slipped around in her grip as she tried to turn the key in the lock. It finally rammed home. She stumbled out into a hallway. The plain brick walls ran in both directions. She went left, but the hall dead-ended with a door that opened on a wall. She turned around and ran back past the room to another door at the opposite end of the hallway.

She took another deep breath and opened the door as fast as she could. She looked around and saw that she stood in a room with black velvet hangings and a black floor. It felt like steeping into the darkness of space without stars. The room's furniture matched the interior with gold knick-knacks scattered over every surface. An ebony clock began to strike in the corner. The bells rang so loudly, she clapped her hands over her ears and shrieked. It struck midnight and fell silent. She looked at her watch. The clock ticked on five hours fast. Her hands bled, red drops hitting the black floor and disappearing. Red light fell from over headlights, making her hands and arms look like they bled from every surface. She screamed and ran to the blood red door at the opposite end of the room, forgetting to look for a phone. She had to get of this mad house and find Spencer.

----

The large, colonial style house was dark and deserted. Mr. Timmons didn't appear to be there. They'd knocked on the door, waited, but no one seemed to be home.

"A waste of time," Morgan said to Hotch.

"It's never a waste of time."

"Do you think he's the killer?"

Hotch shrugged. "I don't know… He could be out for the evening."

Morgan looked at his watch. The darkness was creeping up on them as they headed back to their truck. His watch said the time was just after seven pm.

"Do we stay here and wait for him?" Morgan asked.

"Yes… We need to rule him out."

"Okay, but I haven't been on a stakeout for a long time. We need some bad fast food and coffee."

Hotch gave him a long-suffering stare.

"Just kidding boss," Hotch went to the driver's side of the SUV while Morgan stood looking at the street.

This was shaping up to be a long night.

---

Katherine opened the red door at a slight curve in the hallway to find a room done completely in purple with a flickering purple light overhead in some kind of light fixture. She stumbled and almost fell over a thick rug under her feet.

_A phone, there has to be a phone around here. _

She could see the blood dropping from her hands as it fell on the purple surface of the carpet. She hurried to the purple door at the next slight turn in the room and ran into a white velvet room. The blood from her hands marred the pristine surface of the rugs and the tile floors. It was like wading through snow in the mountains.

The room made another turn and the next door opened to an orange room. The next door curved again to a green room and then purple and then blue. She ran faster, leaving less blood on the floors as she moved. Her hands began to throb as she turned the last door and stepped out into a room with brick walls. She looked around to see no exit to the room. She'd found another dead end. She turned to go back, but the door had fallen shut behind her. She pounded on it screaming, as she realized there was no way to open it.

She stepped back into the center of the room. It was perfectly round. She ordered herself to stop and think. This had to be a sick game. The rooms were out of Poe, and they were a distraction, made to cause panic. What about this room, what would Poe think? One light speared down, golden light from somewhere overhead, giving her enough to see the small room in detail, not that there was anything to see.

She went to the wall and began to walk in a circle letting her fingers search over the rough edges of the bricks. She patted around the wall repeatedly as she reached up as high as she could. Then, one brick collapsed under her fingers and a doorway swung open in the wall. She walked inside into darkness as the wall shut behind her.


	9. Back Up

_**Disclaimer: see my profile **_

_**Back Up**_

As the door slid shut behind her, bright lights snapped on from overhead. She looked up and saw large lights suspended from the ceiling at three-foot intervals down the hidden hallway. She shook her head and tried to ignore the throbbing in her hands and face.

_Why did this guy have modern lights hooked up in this tribute to Poe?_

_Stop wondering and get out of here. You have to help Spencer. You're his only hope._

She stepped forward slowly. The lights turned on and off as she moved along the corridor. The passageway, made from what looked like ordinary pine, led her about two hundred feet to another door. She stood behind the matching pine wall and tried to listen for something on the other side. She shouldn't be so eager just to run though this house of horrors.

_What about Spencer?_

_Just think and you can help him._

She stood with her ear pressed against the door, as her heartbeat slowed from it's frantic pace. Only silence greeted her so she reached out and pushed on the wall. It swung open on silent hinges onto another corridor. This one she recognized as the one she and Spencer had traversed to James' office. She looked right and left, seeing nothing but low lights casting shadows over the hallways and the paintings on the walls. Faces leered down at her. She recognized the painting of Poe, but the rest were unknown. Why hadn't she noticed before that some of them looked like a lunatic painted them?

_Go… Find a phone and call for backup._

She ran down the hall to James' office. She looked carefully inside, all the while wishing for her weapon. Her hands throbbed and grew sweaty as she stepped inside and shut the door. A phone sat on the desk. She jumped as the fire crackled in the grate. No lamps lit the room to shut out the darkness pressing in around the window covering made from heavy red satin.

She picked up the phone and dialed 911.

---

Hotch closed his phone and started the engine of the SUV. "Morgan, get on the phone to Rossi and Emily."

"What's the matter?" Morgan asked in confusion at the sudden stress in his boss's voice.

"We need to get over to the Edgar Allen Poe Museum." He maneuvered the car carefully down the street as children in costumes walked along the sidewalks with older siblings or parents.

"What's going on?"

"A 911 operator just got an SOS from Detective O'Donnell. She called in a man down and for back up."

Morgan slammed the palm of his hand into the dashboard. "Damn it!" He shouted.

"Settle down and get on the phone to Rossi!" Hotch commanded as he made a right hand turn out of the neighborhood and activated his siren. The truck accelerated out into the blackness of the night, red and blue lights flashing into the dark. Once again, they raced toward a brother in arms and who knew how they'd find him this time.

---

Katherine hung up phone and looked around the office. Perhaps James had left one of their guns around. She needed a weapon. She needed to try to find Spencer. Her hands and head throbbed in time. Her eyes burned with tears that tried to surface. How could Justin do this to her and to Spencer? They were all supposed to have been good friends.

She began by searching through the drawers of the desk, but she didn't find anything in them but invoices, pens Post-it notes and other bits to run a business. She found several old albums of photographs of people she didn't recognize and a few old books. She turned in circles despairing over the stuffed birds and animals and old African masks.

She squared her shoulders and went to the door. She'd have to look for Spencer when back up came. "I'm sorry Spencer." She whispered to herself as she turned the doorknob.

She opened the door and screamed.

----

Hotch, and the rest of the team arrived nearly at the same time. Baltimore police arrived minutes later, sirens and lights blazing as they shrieked into the parking lot.

Hotch coordinated with the police as Morgan, Rossi, and Emily put on vests and checked their guns. Morgan stood in front of the door pacing back and forth like an angry jungle cat.

"Morgan…" Emily hissed as she tightened her vest. "Stop it or I'll shoot you where you stand. You're driving me crazy."

"We should go in now. He's probably bleeding out somewhere, or exposed to some exotic disease, or -"

Emily dropped a hand on his arm. He hissed like a cat but she stood her ground. "No one knows better than I how much trouble Reid can get into on his own. But," she reminded him, "He has Detective O'Donnell. He's not alone in there. We'll find him, spend a little more time in the hospital and then go home."

Morgan smiled just a little. "You make it sound like it's just another day at the office."

"Isn't it?"

"Yeah!"

"Everyone, let's go," Hotch called out to them.

----

Katherine screamed even as she ducked away from Justin. Blood ran down his face and soaked through the white shirt he wore. The blood made a mask from his face that froze her in her tracks.

He reached out and pulled her into a vice like embrace. "Bitch!" He spat at her.

"Let go of me. The police and FBI are on their way." She tried to twist out of his hands, but he clamped down hard on her forearms, making her scream as white-hot pain shot through them.

"You're hurting me!"

"You cut my face you bitch. I'll make you pay." He held her so tight she couldn't breathe.

She pushed back as hard as she could, feeling just a tiny bit of give in his hands that were as bloody as her cut hands.

"I should take you to James and let him deal with you." He whispered hoarsely. "Don't you want to be forever with Spencer?" He spat.

She pushed again and felt more give. "I didn't say I -"

"Shut up!" He let go of one of her arms and slapped her hard enough to make her head rock back on her shoulders.

Pain exploded in her face, but she stayed on her feet. "Stop it!" She breathed and kicked out at him connecting with one of his knees. There was a crunch and Justin screamed.

She kicked him again in the stomach and he fell to the floor coughing and choking.

"Detective O'Donnell."

Katherine looked up to see two officers and Hotch approaching with their guns drawn. "Are you okay?" Hotch said as one of her colleagues grabbed Justin and cuffed him.

"I'm fine… I don't know where Spencer is. It's the curator, James. He's the one that did all of this. He took Spencer somewhere."

"Slow down detective," Hotch said. "Who's this? He indicated Justin who stared defiantly at Hotch.

"This is Justin Cohen. He's my ex-boyfriend and a so-called friend of Spencer's. He knows where Spencer is. We have to make him tell us. He's been helping James do everything. "

"Alright…" Hotch said. "Let's get your injuries seen to."

"No… I don't want to leave till you find him."

"It's okay," Emily said walking up behind Hotch. "Why don't we find a chair and you can tell me what happened.

----

Hotch let Morgan muscle Justin into the office. They left him with Rossi and went back to work trying to find a way into the basement.

Rossi took a chair behind the desk. All the electric lights filled the room with bright yellow light that showed the injuries Detective O'Donnell had inflicted on Cohen. Rossi sat there for along time watching the young man.

"Here," he stood and offered a handkerchief to Justin.

The younger man took it and wiped at the blood drying on his face. His wound still wept a bit, but for the most part, it had stopped bleeding.

"Aren't you going to ask me anything?" He said defiantly.

"No… I understand how you feel."

The young man snorted laughter. "I don't think so."

"Hey, I've been married three times. I know how women can drive you crazy. You never know what they'll say, or how they'll react to anything you say or do. It's a constant crapshoot. Personally, I said no more after the third time."

Justin laughed, "Are you trying to show empathy for me Agent? I've read a lot of books on profiling because of Spencer." He said Dr. Reid's name like it was a nasty four-letter word. "You guys are all about tricking people into confessing."

"Hey…" Rossi spread his hands. "I'm just trying to tell you I understand why you did what you did. You love her and she threw you aside like an old toy."

"Damn right she did… What gives her the right to do that? She's just a woman."

"I agree… Women should be in the kitchen not in law enforcement." Rossi nodded.

Justin snorted again. "You don't believe that. You work with women."

"Yes I do, and between you and me, I wouldn't accept working with them, but they tell me I have to. It's all about equal rights these days."

"Tell me about it. All I wanted Kathy to do was quit and be with me. I could'a taken care of us. She didn't need to put her life in danger constantly."

"I know… I understand why you tried to make her stop. You have to give me more than an excuse for your anger. If you let James kill himself, you'll take the rap for everything."

Justin stared at Rossi. "How did you know?"

"He's on a mission and thinks he's finished. He'll kill himself and leave you holding the bag for four murders including the murder of a federal agent, which is a federal rap. You'll go away to a place so terrible you can't imagine. Do you want to spend the rest of your life with the likes of serial killers and rapists?"

The young man's face went white. "Okay… I'll tell you everything."


	10. The Dark

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**The Dark **_

He refused to open his eyes!

_Better to look at the blackness of his eyelids_, he thought.

His eyelids could not surprise him. They were constant in their familiarity.

Sweat ran down his chest. He tried to slow his breathing, but he could not seem to get air into his lungs. The smell of rot and decay, married with new mortar seeped into his nose and mouth. His stomach heaved.

His eyes wanted to open. His eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks as though he were faking sleep on the jet because he didn't want to talk to anyone. He squeezed them tight. He'd make them stay closed. He wouldn't see that face again if they stayed shut.

He breathed in deep, and the smell of fresh dirt assaulted his nose as he pulled uselessly on the chains that held his hands over his head.

NO!

The smell of the cornfield, the rich earth and fresh breeze rattling the corn stalks rose and became a living thing as the face of his captor pushed past the safety of his closed eyes.

No, Tobias! Please don't let him hurt me again.

"_You're weak boy, just like my son."_

No! I'm not weak…

The old break in his foot erupted in pain, blocking out the numbness and pain in his arms. He stumbled and tried to shift his weight but the chains wouldn't let him move. The chains clicked like the sound of a bullet chambered into a gun. The rolling sound of the pistol's chamber drowned out the keening of his voice.

"_Do you know what this is? It's God's will." _

Something pinched his arm like the bite of a syringe. No! Not again! His body slumped, held upright by the cuffs and chains tethering him to the wall. The warm numbing action of the drug pushed away the cold of the tiny space, the darkness and the pain.

His mother's face smiled at him from sunlight. He looked at her over the chessboard. She'd taken his father's place at the board when his father left them alone.

"_Spencer… Why are you just standing there? Wake up!"_

Someone slapped him hard across the face. Blackness returned and he screamed. His eyes stared into the ebony air. He tried to look into the perfect, smooth inky blackness. His eyes bulged with the effort of trying to look through the darkness. If he could see to the other side into the light, all the bad things would go away.

His breathing sped up as more sweat pooled off his face into his eyes. The salty liquid stung his eyes into tears.

"Please let me go." He said in a small voice of a little boy. "I'll be good."

"_You're a sinner… Confess." _

His broken foot burned and stung. Tears rolled down his face. Tobias lay on the ground looking up at him with hate that burned through him like acid. _"You killed him!"_ Charles said in his ear.

"I had to!"

"_It was your punishment boy. Now you'll join me in hell Satan!"_

"No… Let me go!"

"Spencer!"

Her voice came from a long way as though echoing to him from a long tunnel. He closed his eyes, but the blackness remained. The smell of rotting fish and the cornfield forced him to empty his stomach. He choked on the bile and acid. The smell of it twisted his stomach. He dry heaved until the muscles in his stomach quivered and ached.

"Go away…" He rasped.

"_No… You cheated death boy. God told me to put it right." _

"I didn't -"

"_Don't lie to me boy. You killed my son. He was a weakling like you, but he was my son." _

"I didn't want to kill him. It was you…"

"_I made him strong boy and I'll make you strong too." _

His face reeled back from a slap. His foot burst into fresh hot pain.

"_Open your eyes and watch boy." _

"No…" He held them tightly shut.

"Don't listen to him Spencer." Her voice said.

"_Open your eyes and face your punishment!"_

Reid opened his eyes and saw the face of the man who'd put him in this place. He watched him build the wall repeatedly like a movie looping in his brain.

Something clinked at his wrist. His foot throbbed. His arms had died. He couldn't feel them anymore. Blackness drilled into his skull.

How much air do you have?

It didn't matter he tried to tell the voice that spoke to him. His head spun around. The chains kept him from falling because his legs couldn't hold him anymore.

"_Confess your sins boy and I'll make it quick for you." _

"No… I didn't do anything wrong."

"_Confess!"_

"Don't listen to him Spencer. Remember me…" Scotty said.

"_Why do they call you Bones?" She asked him._

_He sat next to her waiting for the movie to start. She sucked on the straw buried in her giant paper cup of soda . He held a huge container of popcorn between his knees._

"_Justin says I remind him of a half starved runway model and since I have three doctorates, and we're all Star Trek fans, it stuck with me." _

"_I like it!" _

_He'd wanted to add - before she said she liked it - that he hated the name. Now, as she looked up at him with her emerald eyes, he felt he could live with it. _

_Suddenly, she smiled and poked him in the arm. "Shut your mouth. You're catching flies." _

_His mouth had been hanging open, he now noticed. He closed it with a snap and reached into the tub for a handful of popcorn. _

"_So," She said as the house lights went down. "We're Scotty and Bones forever, as silly as that sounds."_

_He settled back into his chair with a comfortable sigh. Yeah, forever was good!_

"Bones," Her voice grew louder in his head.

It could only be in his head. His air would be gone soon. No! She couldn't be here and see him die. He closed his eyes and refused to listen to her talk to him. She had to leave.

"I'm not going anywhere this time Bones," She said.

"Please don't look at me."

"Listen to my voice Spencer."

He opened his eyes and looked at her face. "I'm scared Scotty."

"I know… There's nothing in the dark that isn't there in the light."

"There are many things in the dark that aren't there in the light."

She smiled at him. "You're doing fine Spencer. Hold on, we're almost there."

"I can't see anything!"

"You can see me."

"I see what I see." He said and he began to laugh.

"Concentrate Spencer… Take a deep breath."

"I'm going to die. I can't breathe."

"Yes you can!" Hotch said and Scotty faded away from his eyes.

"Hotch… I'm sorry!"

"_Don't apologize to him boy. Confess your sins!"_

"Leave me alone," Reid shouted. "

Light pushed through the darkness that pressed on his eyes like a living thing. "Bones open your eyes and look at me. I'm coming for you."

Her voice whispered in his ear. He ignored her. A different blackness began to pull him down like a strong tidal pull.

"Bones," The gentle pull of her voice changed to irritation. "Listen."

More light bathed his face. He closed his eyes against it. It was a trick or a cheat. To give in and believe would be folly.

"_That's right boy… She lies! The army of Satan lies. You know this to be true. Confess your sins and you shall enter the kingdom of heaven." _Rafael said.

"Spencer!" JJ said. She sounded close enough to touch.

"Hey kid… We're almost there."

A sound, the clink of something on a hard surface pushed past the voice clattering in his head. Something fell and smashed at his feet. He opened his eyes squinting against more golden light that bathed him.

"_It's a trick." _

Rafael's voice grew father away as though a radio with bad reception.

"Spencer!" Katherine's voice penetrated the light and he could see her.

"Reid," Emily said. "Talk to us!"

"You're not real." He croaked. "It's a dream. I'm going to die and this is a dream."

More light opened in the wall. Someone pushed a brick to the floor where it clattered with a bang. He squinted and watched as Morgan and Rossi took down the new brickwork. Morgan muscled through the wall as soon as they had a hole large enough to let him enter. Hotch followed him into the small cubicle.

"Hey kid…" He smiled at Reid. "Let's get you out of here."

"Okay… Morgan?"

"What kid?" The older man held him in his arms while Hotch unlocked the shackles.

"Thanks for being my friend."

"Hey, I got your back."

Reid smiled. "You don't have to worry about me Morgan. It's over! You're just a dream. I'm dying."

"No you're not kid." Morgan said. "Come on… Let's get you to the hospital.

"Where's Kathy?"

"I'm right here Spencer." He looked at her and her smile.

"Good… I gotta say goodbye cause I'm goin' away now." He began to slur.

"Morgan?"

"Right here," He helped the medic lay Reid on a stretcher.

"I'm tired."

"I know, but you need to stay with us for just a bit longer.

"Hey Reid, "JJ and Emily smiled down at him.

"Hi…"

"Come on," Rossi said to him. "You'll be up and around in no time."

"I'm tired." He argued.

"Stay awake…"

"Can't, my foot hurts. Can I have some water?"

"Sure thing kid," Morgan said.

He looked up at the light overhead. The blackness had retreated with arrival of his family. It couldn't be real though. It had to be a result of oxygen deprivation.

Someone began to talk to him and ask him questions. He couldn't think! It had to be the lack of air. Someone lowered a mask to his face. No… He pushed their hands away. If they touched him, they could hurt him.

'No! Don't want it! Don't touch me."

"Reid, you have to let them help you."

"Can't, they'll hurt me."

"Spencer!"

She stood over him with golden light making a halo around her head. "They have to give you oxygen Bones. Let them help you. I promise I'll stay with you. Your team will stay too."

"Kathy…" He whispered in a raspy voice.

"They don't want to hurt you Spencer."

He let go of someone's hand and let him or her put the mask over his face. Cool sweet air entered his nose and mouth. The smell of rot, fish and his vomit retreated. The end must be closer than he thought. Light and sweetness had overtaken the blackness and the stench of eveil. He could close his eyes and it'd be okay.

"Stay with us Reid," Hotch said.

Why? The easy path lay ahead. He closed his eyes and let familiar darkness claim his sight.


	11. After the Dark

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**After the Dark**_

Morgan paced the ER like a jungle cat on the prowl. A small blond haired girl looked up at him from her fathers lap and began to cry. The father glared at him, but Morgan didn't notice.

_Why did it take so long for the doctors to tell him what's going on with Reid?_

They wouldn't let him go past the big double doors into the examination room. Why did they always say no when you just wanted to be there and reassure a friend? You'd think the doctors would appreciate the help.

He wanted to punch the wall. He wanted to force his way into the examination room and make the doctors tell him about his friend and brother. He wanted to kill James Cornell with his bare hands. Too bad the bastard had killed himself before they'd found Reid.

_He'd never forget following Justin into the basement of the Museum. The coffin at one end of the room, the photographs on the wall, and the braces and crutches placed against a newly erected wall. The worst had been James himself; lying in a pool of blood, face down on the coffin._

"_He's over there," Justin had said in a dull and lifeless voice. _

"_Where?" JJ had looked around in confusion. _

"_He's in the wall," _

"_What?"_

_Hotch had stopped him from grabbing Justin around the throat and strangling him. "Stop it!" He yelled. _

"_We have to get Reid out of there before he suffocates." Dave had added. _

_Rossi had handed off Justin to the cops with them as they attacked the wall with everything they could find. The mortar hadn't hardened so it was easy to get inside. He'd barely heard Emily's whimpering cry of denial when they'd broke through and seen Reid chained to the inside wall. _

_He'd never seen anything so terrible in any of his nightmares. It was worse then Tobias Henkel and the anthrax and everything combined. Then he'd just pushed his way into the wall and everything was forgotten but for his little brother and friend._

The double doors to the parking lot whispered open, admitting the team. They rushed in with Hotch in the lead.

"What?" He snapped at Morgan, breaking him out of memories re-lived.

"I don't know… They won't tell me anything. They just took him away."

"Dr. Spencer Reid." A voice said.

"That's us," Morgan said stepping in front of them.

"I'm Dr. Thomas," she said. "Do you have an emergency contact number for him?"

Hotch spoke before Morgan, "His mother's in an institution. I have his medical power of attorney."

"Perhaps we might speak privately." She said in a quiet tone.

"No!" Morgan growled. "We're his family."

"Morgan!" Hotch glowered.

He turned back to the tiny doctor. "Please, we're all his family. You can speak freely to all of us."

Dr. Thomas sighed and pushed back her light brown hair. "Dr. Reid in pretty good shape, physically. We're giving him oxygen till his sats level out. He's got a few contusions and lacerations mostly to his wrists. We cleaned the wounds and bandaged them with antibiotic cream."

"What aren't you saying?" Hotch inquired

He braced himself for the worst. Once again, his youngest team member had suffered something horrific. _How much more could he take? How much could any of them take? _

The doctor looked him squarely in the eye. "I'm worried about him. He came in extremely agitated. I know a bit of what happened to him from the medics. He wouldn't let us give him pain medication. We tried to put in an IV for fluids and he became combative. We had to restrain him for the safety of the nurses and everyone."

"What?" Morgan shouted. "You can't restrain him. We found him walled up alive in a brick cubicle, chained to it like something out of a medieval torture chamber."

"Keep your voice down, or I'll have you thrown out."

The doctor couldn't have been more than five feet tall, but Morgan backed away from her anger and her flashing dark eyes.

"I'm sorry!" He muttered.

"I don't want to add to his trauma." She said firmly. "I have to think of the safety of the hospital personnel."

"I'll talk to him." Hotch said, "If he can have visitors."

"Let me go Hotch." Morgan said.

Hotch regarded the younger profiler for a minute. "Okay… See if you can get through to him."

Dr. Thomas led him through the double door and down a long, very wide hallway tiled in cream and beige tiles with white paint on the walls.

"Doctor… I'm sorry for back there."

She looked sideways and up at him. "It's okay. I get all kinds of reactions from loved ones. It's good that he has caring friends. May I ask you a question?"

"Of course…"

"He wouldn't stop talking about Dilaudid and how the person that did this to him had injected him with it. We tested his blood. It's clean but for a light sedative."

"All I can tell you doctor is that he once had a problem with Dilaudid, but he's been clean for over a year." Morgan said firmly as though she might accuse Reid of shooting up while the doctors' backs were turned.

"Yes… I thought so. I didn't see any recent track marks, but I did find the injection site."

"Will you please see that he doesn't get narcotics?" Morgan asked as they arrived at the cubicle holding his friend.

"Yes, if you'll convince him to take something. I know he's in some pain, especially his cut wrists. "

"You have a deal doc."

She pulled her white coat around her tiny frame as if suddenly cold. "I can't imagine what he went through."

"Neither can I," Morgan agreed.

---

Morgan pushed through the long, light blue colored curtains surrounding the cubicle holding his friend. He just managed to keep from growling at the sight of restraints holding his little brother to the bed. Reid looked up at his approach, the terror in his eyes changing to shame then anger in a flash.

"Get out of here!" He hissed like a frightened cat. "I don't want to see you."

"Too bad kid, I'm not leaving."

"Don't call me kid!" Reid stared into Morgan's dark eyes and Morgan stared back until Reid blinked and dropped his eyes.

Tears began to run down his cheeks. Morgan tightened one hand around the metal rail at the side of Reid's bed. Reid wouldn't like Morgan touching him in the best of circumstances.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Not in this lifetime Reid."

"How can you stand there and look at me like everything's okay."

"Oh, it's not okay Reid. It will be though if you let us help you."

Morgan's hands itched to remove the restraints from his friend, but he could see the way the young man's muscles quivered and bunched under the hospital gown he wore. Machines beeped around him. Morgan glanced up at the blood pressure monitor. The number was too high he could see. He had to do something to help.

"He didn't give you Dilaudid." He finally said, watching Reid carefully.

"You're lying just like they are. You don't want me to feel bad for letting him inject me. You think it's what I wanted."

Morgan took a deep breath so he didn't yell at the terrified younger man. "I'm not lying to you Reid. When was the last time you've known me to tell you a lie when it really counted. Look at my face. Be a profiler. Let your instincts tell you the truth.

Reid looked at him watching him so carefully that Morgan began to feel just a little uncomfortable under the scrutiny of those dark eyes. Then, his brother seemed to relax and with it came a storm of tears.

"It was all in my head." He said after a long time. "I imagined all of it."

"You know what happened Reid. You're terrified of Dilaudid. You thought he injected you and your mind did the rest. You above all people should know how powerful the mind is, and what it can do, for good or evil. What I don't understand is why you're still so terrified of your addiction. You've come so far."

"You couldn't possibly understand." Reid said. Morgan glanced up at the monitor and smiled at the reading coming down toward normal.

"Then explain it to me Reid. You never talk about the struggle you endure every day except to the BCC."

Anger flared in Reid's eyes again. "I don't leave you all out on purpose Morgan."

"Calm down kid… I know you don't, but I think you have to talk about it now. I'm the last person on earth that'll judge you. You can believe in that."

Reid studied him for a long time. "Okay… Yes, I've been clean for over a year, but everyday I'm afraid of slipping back into addiction. When you're using it becomes your whole life. It's your best friend and worst enemy. It promises you freedom from your problems. In reality, it chains you down and creates a multitude of new problems. I hated the lying I did to you guys every day. I don't ever want to go back to that."

"I won't let you Reid. You can count on that. We weren't there for you the first time, but we will be from now on."

Reid went pink in the cheeks. "It's my fault you weren't there for me. I wasn't exactly forthcoming."

"True… but we should have tried harder to help you. It won't happen again."

"So what did he give me?" Reid asked slowly as he looked around the room with all its instruments and machines.

"It was a mild sedative. If you'll allow an IV they'll give you a non narcotic painkiller."

Terror leaped back into Reid's face. "M-Morgan," He stammered a bit. "Would you stay here?"

"Of course…"

He left shortly to get the nurse. He explained to her in a hushed tone that he wanted to stay while she did her job. She smiled and nodded. That Dr. Reid was very cute. He had the most beautiful puppy dog eyes that just went straight to her heart. She wanted to see him get out of the restraints and smile.

"I'll call the doctor and see if we can take him out of the restraints." She told the good-looking man in front of her. Did all FBI agents look like this? She wondered.

"I'd appreciate it," He grinned at her.

----

Morgan looked up from his magazine. He'd talked the doctor and the nurses into letting him stay till Reid settled down. They'd given him pain medication and fluids. He still wore a nasal cannula for oxygen, but Dr. Thomas said he'd be able to do without it by morning. They'd moved him to a private room for the rest of the night.

He saw that Reid was looking at him, his large eyes blinking rapidly as though he tried to stay awake.

"What's wrong kid?"

"Nothing, I just wondered if everyone's okay."

Morgan successfully kept the grin that wanted to spread over his face under wraps as Reid went scarlet in the face.

"Detective O'Donnell is fine. She is staying here overnight too." He said calmly.

"Why?"

"Don't worry Reid. She cut up her hands good getting away from Justin. She has a lump on her head. The doctor wants to make sure she's okay."

"Oh…"

"Why don't you get some sleep? You keep fighting it. You must be exhausted."

His friends deep hazel eyes filled up with fear. "I don't want to go to sleep."

Morgan stood and went close to the bed. The room's lights were dim except for one right over Reid's head. Morgan had made sure the nurses knew to leave the light on for him.

"It's okay." Morgan said clutching gently at the younger man's hand.

"I'm afraid I'll wake up and this will be all a dream."

"It won't be a dream. I'm staying in that comfortable easy chair over there." Morgan pointed to the chair he'd just vacated.

"Okay…" His eyelids drooped.

Morgan watched them close. He waited till Reid's hand relaxed in his grip before going to his chair. He'd stay there, but he had a good idea who might be there to greet Reid when he woke in the morning.


	12. The Light after the Dark

_**Disclaimer: see my profile**_

_**The Light after the Dark **_

Morgan jumped when someone laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, smiled and yawned. "What are you doing here so early baby-girl?" He asked as he ran a hand over his bald head.

She smiled back, her dark eyes twinkling through a pair of glasses with deep blue frames that matched the new streak of color in her hair and the royal blue, low cut sweater she wore.

"I thought this dreary room could use some color." She held a bunch of helium filled balloons with "Get well soon," printed on them in a rainbow of colors.

She held a small teddy bear with a red heart in the center of its white chest, which she placed on the bedside table right where Reid would see it when he opened his eyes.

"Isn't that a little juvenile?" Morgan asked quietly.

"No!"

She leaned over and kissed the still sleeping Reid on the forehead. "Has he spoken since last night?"

"No, he's been out like a light for hours. The doc said the rest is good for him."

Garcia frowned as she looked back at Morgan. "You need rest too."

"I'm not leaving him alone."

"I'll stay with him."

Morgan considered her suggestion for a minute. "I think I have a better idea."

---

Katherine pulled an old, dark blue Baltimore PD tee shirt over her head. The doctor said she could leave that morning. She put on the sneakers JJ had brought from her apartment the night before after everything had calmed down a bit. Spencer had great friends. They cared so much about him. They wouldn't desert him because they were too busy or let distance get between them. She sighed and sat back on the chair next to the bed. When everything had hit the fan the night before, it had been so easy to say that she'd stick around until Spencer could leave. Now, with the grey light of the morning seeping into the room, she wondered if it would be that easy. Wasn't this the part of the story no one saw, what happened after the rescue of the damsel in distress, or in Spencer's case the handsome prince. The fairy tale always ended before real life crept back in. He obviously didn't need her. He had friends that loved him. Wouldn't she be a complication and reminder if she stayed?

A knock on the door burst her thoughts into little pieces that flew out of her grasp like blowing dust from old books.

"Come in."

Agent Morgan entered the room, smiling at her as though she were his new best friend.

"Oh…" She said carefully. "How are you?"

"I'm fine… I just came down from Reid's room. He's still asleep."

"Is he okay?"

"Why don't you go up and see for yourself. I'm sure he'd much rather see you there than me."

"I don't think so."

"I do… I know my man and he wants to see you."

Her brain spoke up and tried to tell her that walking away was best. However, she'd already walked away once and it wasn't better. Her heart rejoiced and said yes. She'd missed him so much for so long, even if she couldn't admit it to anyone.

A woman Katherine hadn't seen before entered her room behind Agent Morgan. "Hi, I'm Garcia," She held out a hand to the detective.

"Oh… Um, it's nice to meet you."

"I feel like I've known you for years."

Katherine narrowed her eyes at the colorfully dressed woman. "Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"Because I checked into your background, Garcia admitted. "I know when my sweet man wants something. I heard it in his voice. I decided that if he had any thoughts about you, I needed to know all about you."

"Baby-girl!"

"It's alright Agent Morgan. I'm glad Spencer has such great friends." She cocked an eyebrow at Garcia. "Did I pass muster."

"Yes," Garcia said.

"I'm very glad. I think I like you very much." Katherine admitted with a smile.

"I only wish I'd been able to find out the truth about Justin before he hurt my boy and you."

"You're not a miracle worker." Katherine tried to reassure the bubbly tech.

Morgan burst out laughing. "Not funny," Garcia smacked him upside the head.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No… It's just that I call Garcia my miracle worker. She never fails us. Things just happened to fast this time, plus it would seem your ex had some pretty good computer skills in his own right." Morgan explained while chuckling.

"It's not your fault. I should have -"

"Come on baby-girl… It's over. Let's worry about Reid." Morgan soothed his friend.

Garcia smiled, "You're right, let's make sure the young detective here is the first person he sees when he wakes up."

----

Reid opened his eyes. Someone had left a small, white, stuffed teddy bear and a bunch of colorful balloons around his bed. Garcia! He wondered if she had stock in hospital gift shops. She sure spent a lot of money in them on his behalf.

"You're awake," a voice with a slight Scottish accent greeted him.

She sat in the chair that had last held Morgan and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry!" He said in a raspy tone.

"Why are you apologizing to me?"

"Come on Scotty, I should have realized James -"

She got out of the chair and came to his bedside. "It's not your fault. You're a profiler, not a mind reader no matter what you'd like us mortals to think."

"Don't make me laugh." He felt the beginnings of a smile cross his face.

"Are you in pain?"

"No!"

In fact, when he'd woken up he'd felt some pain in his wrists, but something about her voice and the faint smell of cinnamon around her took the pain away.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, why are you changing the subject?"

Katherine began playing with the red ribbon tied around the neck of the little white teddy bear. "I just thought it'd be better for you not to think about James or Justin."

"None of that was your fault."

"I didn't know Justin hated me that much. When we broke up, he seemed okay with it. He didn't make a big scene about it or anything."

"Sometimes it's easiest to hide the things that hurt the most."

Something in his voice pulled her eyes away from the teddy bear to his face. "I'm sorry."

"Please don't," He begged. "Let's just forget about the last two years and talk about now."

She smiled and picked up the bear in her hands. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What happened to James and Justin?"

"James is dead. He cut his own throat."

"That's it!" Reid asked.

"Isn't that enough?"

"No, his murders were so elaborate. I though he'd do the same for himself."

"You knew he'd kill himself."

"Yeah."

"How?"

"It's what I do for a living."

Katherine turned the bear over in her hands. She looked up to see Spencer watching her with his large eyes. She flicked her eyes away from him to the bear in her hands. "So, we found his computer and plans for all the murders. He wrote everything down. He was obsessed with his wife and with Poe like you thought. We found the remains of his wife in a coffin. It was a real horror show, that I'm glad is over."

"Yeah…"

She looked up at his face. He looked like a badly frightened and used child. "I'm sorry Spencer. I know you have to live with this now. I didn't think before I spoke."

"It's okay. It's just one more thing I have to see in my head every day."

"Don't say it like its okay!"

He looked away from her to the ceiling over his head. "It was good to see you again Scotty."

"Bones please don't shut me out."

"I'm going home tomorrow they tell me."

"Spencer!"

"Hotch told me I'd have to take a few weeks off."

"Oh…" She looked away from the bear again at his tone."

"Yeah… Do you think you could take some time off too?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Something that doesn't involve Edgar Allen Poe or crazed killers," He suggested with a small smile

"Okay."

"Thanks for trying to save me Scotty. Morgan told me what you did to Justin."

"I couldn't leave you behind. I already did that once."

He reached out a hand to her. She stood up and walked over to his bed. His hand felt warm and like home, just like it had years ago when she'd run from him because of fear. She clasped it as gently as she could so not to cause him pain.

"I thought we decided not to talk about it." He said.

"Whatever you want genius," she ruffled his hair.

"Yeah, that's what I want," he smiled up at her. "So what happened to Justin?"

"He's taking the fall for all of it. He'll never see the light of day again, which is what James wanted all along.

"How did they meet?"

"Online apparently," she said. "Your friend Garcia is having the time of her life with his computer system. Justin met up with him at the museum of all places. I guess he spilled his guts about me to James and that was all it took."

"He was the submissive partner." Reid said, letting his hand fall from hers and his eyes close. "He probably cleaned up after James or helped him work out the mechanics of all the death scenes. He hoped he'd get to keep you as a reward." He opened his eyes and looked up at her face.

"I'm nobody's reward."

Spencer smiled. "I know that. I thought Justin would've realized that for himself."

"He wanted to marry me and then he expected me to have babies and stay home. It's not who I am. I want to help people."

Spencer's eyes dropped closed again, as the colorful balloons bobbed over his head. He tried to keep them open so he could see her emerald eyes looking down at him, but they refused to comply.

"Go back to sleep Spencer. We can talk about this later."

"Don't leave…" He said with a little slur.

"I'm not leaving Bones."

She watched until his breathing deepened and evened out. He looked so young and vulnerable. It broke her heart. If Justin were there, she would… She put the bear down on in the crook of his arm.

"Look after him for me. Will you?" She whispered to the bear.

The bear did not reply.

"Okay, I'll take that as a yes."


	13. Epilogue

**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n hey all, here's the last chapter. Thank you all for your great support and reviews. A special thanks for my fantastic beta REIDFANATIC for all her help and support. _**

**_Epilogue_**

Reid pulled his scarf closer around his neck as he stood looking out at the night sky. Snow fell lightly from the heavens, coating the cars parked next to the building, like sugar cookies. The windy day had given way to a snowy night. He should go home before the snow really cranked up, but he couldn't make his feet move in the direction of the train station.

"Spencer!"

He jumped and turned to see a familiar face approaching.

"John! I didn't see you here tonight."

"I sat in the back tonight. I wanted to observe."

"You were watching me." Reid extrapolated.

"I'm worried about you son. You talked about everything except what happened in Baltimore six weeks ago."

Reid turned back to the glass door. "I'm not ready to talk about that or at least the things I can talk about from the case."

"And yet you passed your evaluation to come back to work."

Reid turned around again and planted his feet. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes… You're smart enough to trick the department shrinks."

Reid sighed heavily. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I understand," John said stepping up to stand next to Reid.

He looked out at the Christmas lights blinking in white and gold along the street. He waited for long minutes.

"I'm ashamed." Reid said slowly.

"Why?"

"Because I cracked under pressure… All he had to do was inject me with a sedative and I broke. I'm just as weak as -"

"As weak as who, your father, or Tobias Henkel or both?" John asked?"

"Don't," Reid warned.

"I'm just saying you have to let it go."

"Let go of what?"

"You couldn't save Tobias Henkel from his father. The damage was done long before you crossed paths with him. Even if you'd taken him alive, who knows if he'd break free of his father's domineering personality? You know all of that's true. You can't save everyone. You have to let it go and then you'll truly be free."

"It's not that easy."

"I know that… If it was easy, this group wouldn't be necessary."

Spencer looked at John. "I don't even know where to start."

"You need to be honest with the group. You've never had a problem with that in the past. We trust you with our secrets. You need to trust us with your secrets again. We'll get you through this if you let us."

"It's as easy as that?"

"Of course not, you know better than that. The battle starts over every day."

Spencer smiled then he chuckled. "That's not very reassuring."

John put an arm around his shoulders and squeezed. "Sorry… That's life as a recovering addict."

"Okay, tomorrow I'll come back and spill my guts."

"When you put it like that?"

They both smiled at each other in the reflection of the glass door.

"You want a ride tonight Spencer?"

"Sure," Reid opened the door to cold and snow and dark, but now, the dark didn't matter that much.

Reid opened the door to his apartment and found lights on all over the living room and the kitchen. His hand froze on his gun as he began to edge into the room. His alarm system showed a red light, meaning someone had deactivated it with the code. Only a few people had the code. His hand relaxed on his gun.

"Morgan… Are you here? If you are I'm gonna kill you!-"

"It's not Morgan." A female voice said from his bedroom.

"Scotty!" He squeaked.

"Who were you expecting, an early visit from Santa?"

He hurried into his bedroom to find Scotty hanging clothes in his closet. They were his clothes. He'd left them in the hamper when he'd left that morning to spend the day out of his apartment with Morgan and Garcia. Katherine had washed them for him.

"Wait! How did you get in here?"

"That's a nice greeting."

"Scotty!"

"You gave me the alarm code two weeks ago and I can pick a lock."

"Very funny! I thought you were coming in tomorrow."

"I decided I couldn't wait."

"Really?"

"Why do you sound so surprised? You're pretty damn cute Spencer Reid."

She hung up the last of his shirts and walked over to wrap her arms around his waist.

"I'm glad you're here." He said.

"Good because I'm here to stay if you want me."

"You are?"

She pulled away from him and left the bedroom. He followed her out into the kitchen. She began pulling plates out of the cabinet.

"You're cooking?" He asked, just then realizing that something on the stove smelled very good.

"Why must you sound so surprised?"

"I thought you didn't want to be in the kitchen."

"I don't, this is a one time only event Bones."

"I guess I better enjoy it then." He kidded, while taking silverware from the drawer.

"You better," She agreed.

"So, about you staying here in Washington," he reminded her, his heart beating very fast.

"I asked for a transfer. I'm now a proud member of the DC police."

Reid dropped one of the glasses he held. It bounced but didn't break on the tile floor.

"Careful!" She scolded him.

"I thought you didn't like this political town."

She put the glass in the sink and went to him. She kissed him hard on the mouth. "I can deal with it as long as you're here."

He pulled away and took her hands in his. He turned them over and looked at the faint scars that marred the palms.

"Thank you!" He chocked out.

"Bones I -"

He stopped her with kisses to both palms. "Don't say anything. I'm glad the bandages are gone because I can see the scars."

Tears filled her eyes. "I don't -"

"He could've killed you. You took him down alone for me. You saved my life."

"Agent Rossi got Justin to talk, if he hadn't gained his trust…"

"I know, but you bled for me. "I'll never for get that. He hugged her tight. "I'm glad you decided to stay. I need you very much."

"Good, because I need you too, silly."

"So what did you cook for me?"

She gave him a withering look. "I made beef stew."

His eyes lit up, "Your mother's recipe?"

"Of course," she laughed.

"Wait here," he said suddenly hurrying from the room.

He rushed back into the kitchen with the white teddy bear from his hospital room. "I want you to have this," he said.

"Your friends gave you this. I can't take it." She said as tears filled up her eyes again.

"I don't need him to look after me anymore."

Katherine blushed crimson. "You heard me?"

"Yes, I'm pretty good a faking sleep." He said proudly.

"That's not funny Bones."

"Yeah, but you'd be surprised what you hear when people think you're sleeping."

She slapped him on the shoulder. "I shouldn't let you have any of this delicious stew."

He pouted and she laughed. "Oh all right… Who can say no to you?"

He smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Whatever… Let's eat."

He joined her at the table. The long darkness had finally receded. It might come back, but as long as he had his friends and Scotty, it wouldn't engulf him.


End file.
